Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent)
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191. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding Irish citizens who have worked abroad in Canada, Australia or other countries outside the EU for four years and now want to return to Ireland to take up a place in a third level college to further their education in an effort to obtain employment here, but have been informed that they will have to pay fees similar to non-EU applicants; in view of the hardship this will cause for returning Irish citizens, if same will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44408/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Schemes the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing their first undergraduate courses of study which are full-time and are a minimum of two years duration in an approved higher education institution. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course. Students must meet both the nationality and residency criterion in order to be considered under the scheme.

Where students do not qualify for free fees they must pay the appropriate fee as determined by their third level institution. The institutions are autonomous institutions and the level of fee payable by students who do not meet the requirements of the free fees schemes is a matter for the relevant institution. However, I recently requested that the Higher Education Authority establish and report on the practices currently operated by individual institutions in charging different rates of fees so as to ensure a common approach across the sector and that all prospective students have clarity about the level of tuition fees they may be required to pay.

Tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners.