asked the Minister for Education the response she has made to the Union of Students of Ireland and other student associations who have demanded control of increases in university fees and an increase of 50 per cent in higher education grants which should be indexed-linked; if she agrees with the student's statistic that lower income groups comprise a mere 3 per cent of the national university population; and the action she proposes to take to redress this imbalance.
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
558.
I have responded very fully to representations from student organisations regarding the level of fees and grants at third level. I have indicated, inter alia, that in the light of the very high expenditure on third level education at present, current levels of taxation, the additional expenditure both current and capital which will be required to service increased student numbers in the present economic situation it would not be possible to hold fees at their present level.
In the light of these circumstances also demands for increases in grants of the order of 50 per cent are just not realistic. It is the Government's intention however that the higher education grants and related schemes will be updated. The maintenance element of these grants will be increased by 10 per cent in real terms from September 1985; income limits for eligibility will be increased by 5 per cent in real terms from the same date and both will be indexed to inflation thereafter. A tapering mechanism will be introduced to provide part of the tuition fee to those just outside the normal income limits for eligibility.
Since no definition of "lower income groups" is given I do not propose to comment on the figure quoted but I would accept that the lower socio-economic groups are seriously under-represented in third level education. This is the situation in many countries and a lot of attention is being devoted to it both nationally and internationally. It has to be appreciated that the root causes are complex and varied and do not lie within the education system alone.