Under the free fees initiative, tuition fees are payable in respect of eligible EU nationals who have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state for at least three of the five years preceding entry to their third level course. This condition applies equally to all EU nationals, including Irish nationals, in accordance with the judgment of the European Court of Justice that access to vocational training must apply equally to all EU nationals. I understand that similar residency requirements operate in the other EU member states.
The removal of this residency condition for Irish nationals would have to apply to EU nationals generally and could have significant resource implications for the Exchequer. The matter has been raised by a number of Deputies and I have asked my officials to re-examine the issue and report to me in due course.
EU nationals who have been ordinarily resident in the administrative area of a local authority from 1 October of the year prior to going to college may apply for assistance under the higher education grants scheme. In this regard, EU nationals who do not satisfy the residency requirement under the free fees initiative may apply to have their fees paid if they satisfy the residency requirement of one year in an EU member state and the means test under the scheme.
