At the outset I must correct the view that this is a new charge.
Before I introduced free undergraduate tuition fees the standard practice had been that the universities had included the charge for examinations, registration and student services with their tuition fees as a single payment. In the Dublin Institute of Technology-RTC sector, tuition fees for ESF funded courses did not include this charge and most Dublin Institute of Technology-RTC students paid the charge directly to the colleges.
Students eligible for means tested support will have their grant increased by £150 to meet the cost of the charge.
The working group did not recommend a specific breakdown of the £150 charge but rather that each college should set out publicly for the information of the student body how this amount is allocated as between examinations, registration and capitation for student services.
In coming to this recommendation the working group had regard to the fact that the arrangements that apply in relation to student services vary from college to college. In accepting its recommendation I was anxious not to be over-prescriptive but rather to allow flexibility to the colleges and their student bodies to arrive at arrangements most appropriate to their circumstances.
The working group was established to make recommendations to me on the overall implementation of the free fees initiative. The issue of the £150 charge was only one element in its deliberations.
There was consultation with USI prior to the submission of the working group's report. I personally met the USI in January and March. After receiving the report I also met them in July. There was also a meeting involving an official of my Department and a USI representative in April.
The working group had regard for student concerns in recommending that (a) colleges should not be permitted to demand from students more than the maximum amount of £150; (b) colleges should set out publicly for the student body how the £150 would be allocated and (c) the arrangements to be put in place should not adversely affect the funding of student unions, clubs and societies.