Vol. 565 No. 2
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Díospóireachtaí
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Aimsigh díospóireacht
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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Thursday, 10 Apr 2003
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Ceisteanna – Questions. Priority Questions. - ...
2 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he is planning to introduce a student loan scheme for third level students or the reintroduction of fees; when he expects to receive the report of the review of student supports; the consultations he intends to engage in before making a decision; if he will give due consideration to the economic impact of any changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10596/03]
The issue of equitable access to higher education is foremost among my policy priorities. The Agreed Programme for Government, in addition to setting out this Government's commitment to improve the level and quality of participation and achievement at every level of education, contains a clear commitment to expand significantly the number of mature students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds participating in higher education. We must broaden participation in higher education if we are to successfully tackle and break the cycle of disadvantage, open up opportunity and optimise our broader economic and social potential.
The under representation of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds in the higher education system is, regrettably, particularly evident in Ireland and remains unacceptable even though the overall rate of admission to higher education recorded by Clancy was 44% in 1998 as against 25% in 1986. Nowhere is the disparity in participation rates more graphically captured than by the 2001 fourth national survey of access to higher education, which confirmed that in 1998 almost all children from the higher professional group entered higher education whereas only 21%, or one in five, from an unskilled manual worker background entered.
It was against this background that, last autumn, I requested my Department to undertake a review of student support provisions with the objective of ensuring that the benefits of the substantial investment being made in this area by the taxpayer are maximised. While the review is essentially being conducted by officials of my Department, some issues have required the engagement of external expertise. In this connection, the Department commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute to undertake work to enable it to estimate the cost of the various options which I expect will be identified in accordance with the terms of reference of the review.
In conducting the review, my Department officials are also having regard to international experience, relevant reports and policy documents including the report of the action group on access to third-level education, which was published in July 2001. The action group members, who were representative of a large number of interest groups and the key stakeholders, sought and considered a large number of submissions.
Additional informationI expect that the outcome of the review by my Department officials will provide me with a range of possible options which will seek to ensure that the finite available resources are targeted in a manner which achieves maximum impact from the point of view of equity of access to higher education. In this context, I expect that the review will take account of the fact that, while the broad social and economic benefits of wide participation in higher education underpin the rationale for ongoing public investment in this system, there are also clear economic returns to the individual which raise questions on equity grounds as to how the burden of funding should be shared by those who benefit. I anticipate that the review outcomes will be submitted to me in the very near future and when I have had an opportunity to consider its contents, I will bring the matter to the Cabinet. Following consideration by the Government, I will make a determination in relation to publication and appropriate arrangements for consultation. As I have indicated to the House previously, I am very mindful of the need to avoid, as far as possible, uncertainty for students and their parents. In any event, it is my intention to decide within the coming weeks as to the arrangements and support provisions which will be in place for students for the 2003-04 academic year.
I am concerned that the Minister is still not giving us an answer as to when this report will be published and what he intends to do within the timescale. In a reply to a question on 27 February, the Minister said that he hoped to receive the report by the end of January, but that had not happened by the end of February. He said then that, if the situation continued much longer and the report was not published and decisions not made, it would be unfair to students. Will the Minister tell the House categorically that as the report has not yet been published, he will not take any action that will affect students in the coming year?
Is the Minister aware of the concerns of students and their families that this burden of fees might be imposed on them in September and may be deterring them from making decisions which affect their future? If the Minister is consulting with the Departments of Health and Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to the wider implications for the economy, the provision of workers in our economy and what the effect of introducing fees might be, the scope appears to be too narrow. It does not go into primary level, where the real roots of inequality lie. Will the Minister outline the extent of the examination he will undertake in this regard?
Without wishing to delay the House, I dealt with that matter in the first half of my reply. If Deputy O'Sullivan reads the remainder of the quotation of 27 February in a reply to a question from Deputy Gogarty she will see I indicated that I would make an announcement one way or the other by Easter.
There is no fall-off in the number of applications to the CAO. I do not accept that parents or students are being deterred from making such applications. I accept that people in receipt of free fees and who may be able to afford to pay them are concerned about this matter. I expect the Deputy, who is a member of a socialist party, would be equally concerned about those who cannot afford to pay and are not gaining access to third level education. I am equally concerned about how we might rebalance the amounts paid in student support to cater for those who do not have the capacity to access third level education or who may never see the inside of a university. My concern for such people is greater than for those who would be well able to afford the fees if re-introduced.
As soon as the review has been completed and I am in receipt of the report I will bring it to the House. If the review process takes longer than expected, during the course of this month I will make an announcement as to what will happen in September for students.
I convey to the Minister the urgency of making a decision. Does he agree it is not fair to leave people in limbo?
The Deputy may only ask a brief question. We have gone over the time allowed for dealing with this question.
We all share the concerns of people who cannot afford to access third level education. Does the Minister not agree that one must intervene in the education system at a much earlier stage if one wants to make a real difference in terms of access?
I agree with the Deputy. We have tried to ensure that our focus on the disadvantaged is reflected in this year's Estimates. The Deputy will be aware one cannot tackle disadvantage overnight. One must start at primary or even pre-school level and work up through the system. Unfortunately, we did not start on time and people currently in second level education face the reality that they may never see the inside of a university unless we can provide them with assistance. My focus is not just on third level education but throughout the education system. I have to take cognisance of the fact that we have problems which must be faced up to.
