Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 55: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will respond to claims that moneys collected from the student registration fee are not used to fund student services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44152/09]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will confirm that there will be no further increases in the student registration fee. [44151/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 61 together.

As the Deputy will be aware the student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services. These services may include on-campus medical and counselling facilities for students, access and disability services, careers office, student facilities, student clubs and societies etc. Currently, the student services charge is decided annually by third-level institutions in consultation with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and my Department. Any change in the level of this charge would only be considered where the increase is intended to bring the amount contributed by students into line with the costs of the range of students services provided.

As already announced, the Government indicated that it was prepared to accept increases in the level of this charge for the academic year 2009/10 to bring it to a limit of €1,500 in individual higher education institutions. In the previous academic year, 2008/2009, the charge stood at €900. The increase in the charge for the 2009/2010 academic year enabled individual institutions to bring the amount contributed by students more into line with the real cost of providing student services in those institutions. This was agreed on the understanding that the revenue generated by the increase adopted by each institution would reflect their requirements in defraying the full cost of items that fall to be funded by the charge. Where income from the charge did not previously meet the full cost of these services, this required an effective cross subsidisation by institutions from their general block grant funding.

Systems of local accountability to students are in place across higher education institutions in respect of the use of resources generated by the charge. The Higher Education Authority has issued a Framework of Good Practice for the Provision of Student Services to the publicly funded higher education institutions. The Framework consists of guidelines to establish an appropriate system of consultation with students in the allocation of funding from the charge and in the determination of student services to be funded from this source with particular emphasis on principles of transparency and accountability. The HEA has written to all institutions on a number of occasions to ensure that correct procedures are in place, and to remind them of their function in relation to the student services charge, in accordance with the Framework of Good Practice.

I have asked the HEA to ensure that all institutions are using the full income from the charge for the purpose which it is intended relating to student services.