Paul Connaughton
Ceist:33 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the way in which the additional £100 registration fee has been used; and if he can guarantee that the money is being used for student services. [3655/98]
Written Answers. - Third Level Charges.
The distribution of the charge payable by students for registration, exams and student services, is a matter for the third level institution involved. When I accepted that the third level institutions could increase this charge, from £150 to £250, for the current academic year, I was concerned about that portion of the charge which is intended to fund student services, and in particular the lack of transparent procedures and adequate funding for core activities in certain institutions. Accordingly, I requested the chairman of the Higher Education Authority to reconvene the working group, which was previously established to review and make recommendations on the implementation of the charge, to prepare a framework of good practice in relation to this charge, with particular reference to the principles of transparency and accountability. The working group has now completed its work and the Higher Education Authority has recently issued the framework to the publicly funded third level institutions.
This framework consists of guidelines to establish an appropriate system of consultation with students in the allocation of funding from the £250 charge and in the determination of student services to be funded from this source. In relation to the issue of transparency, the framework recommends that each institution should provide information as to the allocation of the £250 charge towards exams-registration and towards student services on an annual basis. In relation to my direction that any arrangements put in place should not adversely affect the current funding of students unions, clubs and societies, the framework recommends that institutions be cognisant of the average contribution from the £150 base in this regard of £50, when determining the revised contribution for these services from the £250 charge.
I am confident that this framework will be adopted by the various institutions involved and I have asked the Higher Education Authority to co-ordinate the review after six months, as recommended by the working party, of the consultative procedures and their outcome.