Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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227. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department or a body under its aegis has carried out any research into the current debt profile of university students and or recent graduates here; the sources and results of this research; and if his Department has any statistics on the number of university students who take out bank or credit loans currently for tuition and maintenance. [24211/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not hold information on the specific details set out by the Deputy. The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published recently, outlines the funding challenges in the sector and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I am referring the report to the Education Committee as part of the process for formulating a plan for the future of the sector. This will ensure that all views can be heard and considered.