Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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156. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to address the cost of attending third level education, including accommodation and student contribution fees; and whether he will provide an update on any supports available to students and families experiencing financial pressure in accessing higher education. [50181/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I am committed to making third level education more accessible than ever before. I want to make improvements to student supports that are permanent and give certainty to families.

Budget 2026 offered me my first opportunity to make real and permanent changes in support of students, which included the first permanent reduction in the Student Contribution fee of €500 benefitting c.108,000 undergraduate students and 14,000 apprentices in 2025/26. It is my intention to continue rolling out equitable, sustainably funded and fair measures over the term of this Government and my officials have been tasked with examining the feasibility and costs that would be incurred in the implementation of additional and new measures.

Other budget 2026 changes include increases to all SUSI non-adjacent maintenance grant rates; an increase to the postgraduate fee contribution; an increase in the special rate of maintenance grant threshold and increasing the income threshold for the €500 student contribution grant to €120,000.

In Further Education & Training, courses are free or heavily subsidised, and eligible learners can receive financial supports.

Learners on social welfare may transfer to a learner allowance while on certain courses and can usually keep secondary benefits, such as medical cards. I have also permanently reduced the contribution fee for 14,000 apprentices in higher education by up to 17%.

In addition to these measures, I provided €19.3 million for the Student Assistance Fund which is more than a quarter of a million euro up on the previous year. It is available to all students who have an emergency financial need and supports approximately 22,000 students each year.

The new Student Accommodation Strategy sets out Ireland’s national policy to support access to appropriate housing for students. Under this Strategy, I am committed to further expanding and enhancing supports that directly address the affordability pressures facing students, especially for those who need it most.

To inform decision-making head of Budget 2027, I will publish an options paper which will identify costs and potential impacts of various policy options aimed at reducing the cost of higher education.

While I cannot confirm at this stage in the year the specific items that will be included in the next Budget, options to support students and reduce financial barriers will be key priorities for me as part of Budget negotiations.