On 4 June, at this very time, students will be one hour into the leaving certificate English examination. They will be marked for clarity and conciseness in their replies. Between now and then, uncertainty is hanging over those 50,000 students and their parents regarding a Government proposal to reintroduce third level fees. They do not know if they will have to pay fees to go to university.
I ask the Taoiseach again today to remove the uncertainty that hangs over those students and their parents, in advance of the report from the Minister for Education and Science, by stating that third level fees will not be introduced in the forthcoming academic year, irrespective of the discussions at Cabinet or the contents of the Minister's report. I do not want the reply the Taoiseach gave yesterday but a straight answer. Will he state that the Government does not intend to introduce third level fees for the academic year starting this autumn?