Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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251. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 245 of 17 February 2022, if further measures will be introduced to reduce student contributions and other associated costs for the forthcoming academic year in view of the particular pressures on many families with students attending third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35077/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On 4th May I launched the Funding the Future framework which includes the Government's policy response to the Cassells and DG Reform Reviews on the future of higher education and which sets out my intention to implement a progressive range of measures to address costs as a barrier to education, in the context of overall Budgetary decision-making.  

The Government has now made important decisions about the sustainable model for future funding of higher education. Critically, we have definitively taken student loans off the table. We have instead chosen a mixed model of investment, which includes funding from the Exchequer, employers and from students. I have been clear, however, that I want to see the student contribution in higher education reduced in a meaningful way over the course of future Budgets. I want this done in a way which does not negatively impact on the sustainable core funding for higher education. Higher Education Institutions currently receive c.€434m from student contributions. That breaks down as €248m from students and circa €186m from the Exchequer through SUSI. Reductions in such income must be offset through increases in other sources of revenue if the quality of higher education programmes and the ability of institutions to meet growing demand is not to be significantly undermined. In addition the Exchequer currently contributes €340m to meeting the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate students in higher education.  

Looking forward to future Estimates processes, my Department will publish an annual cost of education paper in advance of each Budget. This will set out the options available to address financial barriers to education, including changes to the student grant scheme, reductions to the student contribution, and other measures. This will seek to inform Budgetary prioritisation to ensure that we fund the most impactful measures to support students and their families.

In addition it is important to highlight the expanding pathways to post leaving cert education which are accessible to all learners as they prepare for their chosen career. In addressing this, as part of budget 2022, we have removed the Post Leaving Certificate participant contribution fee of €200. This will come into effect in September 2022.  

We are working hard to introduce new apprenticeship programmes, such as the ones in bar managing and wind turbine maintenance which we launched in March, and we have also improved the financial incentives on offer to employers to take on apprentices, particularly female ones. We are also working hard to improve pathways from further to higher education as part of our Unified Tertiary System strategy. There should be no barriers for students who want to pursue their chosen educational and career goals.

For the academic year 2022/23, we will also see significant enhancements to the financial supports that students who need them most receive through the Student Grant Scheme; where: There will be an increase to all student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant, of €200 per year which will benefit all students entitled to receive a maintenance Grant; The income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant will be increased by €1,000; The qualifying distance criterion for students to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant will be reduced from 45km to 30km.  

My Department also provides funding by way of the Students Assistance Fund to students in eligible Higher Education Institutions who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. The total allocation for the Fund in the 2021/22 academic year, including additional Covid supports, is € 18.5 million.