Vol. 554 No. 5
673 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science when college registration fees were first introduced by his Department; the rate of fee payment each year since its introduction; the total amount collected each year; if this money is taken into account by his Department when calculating the level of subvention to be paid to the individual colleges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16768/02]
Prior to the introduction of the free fees initiative the composite fee charged by uni versities included an element in relation to the cost of registration, exams and student services. The institutes of technology also levied a charge which varied from college to college. With the introduction of the free fees initiative the charge was standardised.
The table below gives the amount of this charge since 1996.
Students who are eligible for means tested student support will, in addition to any grant they are entitled to, have the €670 charge paid on their behalf, either directly by my Department or through the local authorities and vocational education committees. This means that 34% of students in universities and 47% of students in institutes of technology will not have to pay the charge.
My Department does not hold information on the funding collected by the third level institutions in respect of this charge. Due regard is had to the expected income available to third level institutions when determining their annual grant.
|
Year |
Student Service Charge € |
|
1996/97 |
190 |
|
1997/98 |
317 |
|
1998/99 |
330 |
|
1999/20 |
353 |
|
2000/01 |
371 |
|
2001/02 |
396 |
|
2002/03 |
670 |
