Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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1344. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if future legislation is planned in the regulation of capitation fees in HEIs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27242/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, higher education institutions are autonomous institutions and therefore it is a matter for individual institutions to determine policy and procedure in relation to any capitation fees or other levy payable by students for services or campus facilitates.

In this regard it is not open to my Department to intervene in such policies and my Department has no plans to amend legislation to change the autonomous position referenced above.

In May I held our first ever Cost of Education consultation event, to hear directly from students and stakeholders about their priorities. Building on this, I will be publishing a Cost of Education options paper in the summer which will set out options for addressing costs. I hope this will stimulate debate on how we can best prioritise our resources to support students in the next Budget.