Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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It will come as no surprise to the Minister of State to hear me say that I believe in a publicly-funded model of third level education and moving towards the complete removal of fees. Universities and colleges have been underfunded for over a decade, forcing them to find money in the private sector or to charge international students huge fees.

I have been contacted by students, as I am sure the Minister of State has been, who feel they have been scammed, quite frankly. They say their fees are completely unjustifiable because key elements of their courses are not taking place. One woman said that class sizes have doubled due to online learning and there is reduced support from lecturers as a result. She says it is double the money for the university, but half the attention for the students. Another student said there have been no laboratory classes for many courses in science, which are the most costly part of these courses for the university. Students say that, typically, science courses cost €2,000 more because of this. Another student said that students are unable to find part-time work, which is a major issue for international students who moved here in September and whose fees are significantly higher at approximately €25,000. On top of that, they are paying Dublin's sky high rents.

The grant of €250 given by the Government to almost every student recently must be seen in the context of the increase in fees for courses, thus offsetting those increases in some way, and where some students will have to complete another semester next year to pass their courses by completing placements and so forth. In that context, €250 is not a meaningful reduction in fees. University College Dublin business school students have asked for a 30% reduction in fees and approximately one third of the graduate medicine students at UCD withheld their fees and have asked that next year's fees be frozen or reduced. I commend them on that.I will say it again. Ultimately, the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in which the Minister of State is involved should be the launch pad to building a truly publicly funded third level model of education. We need to share that burden across our society. Students and their families cannot shoulder that burden or that cost alone. My question, therefore, is this: will the Minister of State engage with universities to ensure that our future doctors, social workers, scientists and teachers are charged a fair amount for what they are getting this year and what they may be required to do next year?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Warfield for raising this matter. The fee payable by students can vary depending on a variety factors, including, of course, the type of course and the student's access route, including previous education. Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies, and the total level of tuition fees payable is a matter for the institutions to determine, including during the period when their delivery methods are adjusted in response to Covid. I am of course very conscious of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on our students. While Ireland is on level 5 of the plan for living with Covid, all further and higher education institutions will deliver the majority of their classes online, with only essential activities being held on site. While I appreciate that the Covid impacts are disappointing for students who had hoped to have as much time on campus as possible, these measures are necessary to support halting the spread of the coronavirus.

In recognition of the challenges facing full-time third level students, financial assistance is being provided in the academic year 2020-21 to all students who avail of SUSI grants and all EU full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students attending publicly funded higher education institutions in the State. Under this initiative more than 72,000 students who avail of the SUSI grant have received a €250 top-up to their grant, and students who do not avail of the grant but who attend publicly funded higher education institutions in the State can reduce by €250 any outstanding student contribution fee payable or receive a €250 credit note from their institution. This builds on the additional supports announced in July, including a doubling of the student assistance fund, a €15 million technology fund for devices for students in further and higher education and an additional €3 million provided for investment in supports for mental health services and well-being initiatives.

In considering this issue it is also important to note that the State currently provides very substantial support to undergraduate students in higher education towards the cost of their studies. This support has played a very significant role in facilitating access to and growth in higher education. What was previously the preserve of a relatively small proportion of the school-leaving population is now more widely available, as reflected in the current transfer rate from second to third level. This commitment is demonstrated through the free fees scheme, under which the Exchequer provides funding towards the tuition fee cost for eligible undergraduate higher education students with students paying the student contribution. The student contribution applies annually to all students who are eligible under the free fees scheme. The current rate is €3,000 per annum. Currently, 60,000 students have all or part of their student contribution paid on their behalf by the State via the student grant scheme. The total cost of the tuition fee and student contribution supports is in excess of €500 million per annum. The combined impact of these supports and initiatives highlights the strength of the Government's commitment to supporting students in meeting the costs of third level education.

Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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This is the first day of the second semester for many students. The key question I am asking the Minister of State is whether he will engage with the universities. Not everybody signed up for online courses. People could have signed up for online courses. These fees are just completely unjustifiable.People are telling us they feel scammed. We need to do more than the €250 grant. I ask the Minister of State to intervene on this issue with the universities so they can act and help students who are struggling. Will he do that?

The Minister of State mentioned the student contribution charge which is, in effect, fees as far as people are concerned. His party is very proud of its record in education. I encourage him to make this one of his issues in government. Sinn Féin has consistently proposed in budget debates that we reduce the fee by €500 and I ask that the Minister of State consider doing that. I also ask that he engage with universities on this issue. People did not sign up for online courses.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. When the Minister, Deputy Harris, and I engage with the heads of our universities and institutes of technology they tell us that the fact that the vast majority of tuition is now taking place online does not mean that the provision of it is cheaper for them. I am relaying to the Senator what they have said to us.

We are very aware of the difficulties facing students during the pandemic. In general, there is a requirement in these exceptional times to have a responsible approach to the needs of students whenever possible. It is important to acknowledge that the higher education institutions have to date showed enormous willingness to respond in numerous ways. I encourage all students to engage with their institutions to discuss any issues in respect of their courses, including fees. I also thank the Senator for raising this issue which is topical to many thousands of students up and down the country.