Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 March 2023
80. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will commit to the abolition of all third-level and postgraduate fees in budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15749/23]
View answerIn May 2022, I launched Funding the Future, a landmark funding and reform framework for higher education. I also set out my intention to advance a progressive range of measures to address cost as a barrier to education, in the context of overall budgetary decision-making.The Government has now made important decisions about a sustainable model of funding for the higher education into the future. Critically, we have definitively taken income contingent 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 that I want to see the student's contribution toward tuition fees in higher education reduce in a meaningful way over the course of future budgets. This should, however, be done in a way which does not negatively impact on sustainable core funding for higher education.
As part of Budget 2023, in addition to the once-off cost of living measures introduced, I was pleased to secure Government agreement to the introduction of a permanent new rate of student contribution support through SUSI from September 2023. For students whose families have incomes between €62,000 and €100,000, there will be a new grant of €500 towards the undergraduate student contribution for free fees students. I am also increasing the income limit for students to avail of the 50% student contribution grant. These measures mean that up to 50,000 extra students may be eligible for a grant for the first time or a higher rate of grant towards paying the undergraduate student contribution.
In advance of Budget 2024 this autumn, and as I did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible measures to address the cost of education. I am doing this in order to facilitate public discussion on the various choices available to amend student supports. I will have regard to these options, including any options in respect of reducing tuition fee or tuition fee contribution costs, when making proposals regarding student supports in the context of budget discussions later in the year.
