Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he had already made the decision to increase the student contribution fee by €1,000 in the coming years at the time that he announced the €250 increase for 2012; the reason he failed to inform the public of his intentions at the time of the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10191/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In order for this country to adhere to its agreed economic recovery programme and to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP by 2015 it is necessary to seek to reduce expenditure across all areas of my Department.

Unfortunately this involves difficult decisions including the decision in Budget 2012 to increase the Student Contribution to €2,250 for the 2012/13 academic year. While the Government considered a range of saving options for the 2012-2015 period as part of the budget process last year, final decisions have not been made in respect of student contribution increases for 2013 and beyond.

It should be noted that the student contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect of students who qualify under my Department's third level grant schemes. Tax relief is also available for second and subsequent siblings to alleviate the costs for families.