Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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69. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an increase in third level fees, (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20728/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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It is presumed that the Deputy is referring to the Student Contribution which currently stands at €2,500 for the current academic year and is payable by students who qualify under my Department's free fees schemes. I have already signalled my intention to increase the Student Contribution by €250 each year hereafter until the 2015/16 academic year when the contribution will stand at €3,000. The Contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect of students who qualify under my Department's Student Grant Scheme (some 40%).

Work is ongoing between my Department and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on future funding policy for higher education. This builds upon the substantial amount of work already undertaken by the HEA. The objective is to identify a range of approaches that, combined, will achieve a sustainable funding base to address the continual expansion of the sector while protecting the quality of education.