I thank Deputy Kenny, and I will treat with the programme for Government commitments and the rest later. I would be interested to know whether the Deputy agreed with the rest of my comments in that article because I did talk about targeted supports. I talked about addressing the cost of education and improving access to education. I talked about the existing support schemes and whether they should be widened or revisited to ensure the net is cast exactly where it needs to be.
Are they even progressive supports, targeted at those most in need? I am not convinced that a universal measure, blanket-applied without any regard for means or indeed surplus means in some cases, is appropriate and a good use of public moneys. There are competing demands such as student accommodation, course provision, quality of education and the core training fund, or the core gap we have spoken about in other parliamentary questions. I would welcome any engagement on this topic around what priorities should be pursued and what the opportunity costs would be of prioritising some measures above others. That is a really important point.
My intention in dealing with this issue is to consult. No decisions have been made yet, and we are still in the early cycle of the budgetary process but it is important to have that debate. In that regard, I am holding an event next week where I will engage with student bodies, the universities, access officers and the representatives of different associations, including students' unions, taking their views on board in terms of understanding what the barriers are to access to education, what the costs associated with education are, and with regard to existing supports. We heard earlier that 143,000 students already benefit from the free fees initiative - almost every undergraduate, bar perhaps those in some private colleges and some repeat courses for people taking a second degree course. Some 66,600 students additionally benefit from that student contribution fee being paid in full or part. A very significant cohort of people is already receiving significant State support.
I understand the desire to continue to broaden that pool. My view is that we should do so in a targeted fashion that provides support and respects those most in need, as opposed to a blunt instrument which may not be the best use of those funds. I am open to discussion on it.
