4. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the assessments that were carried out in relation to the impact the €500 increase in third level fees would have on accessibility to third level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56129/25]

Sentiment score: 0.20

I want to ask about the cost of going to college, particularly following the budget. In effect, people are now paying €500 more in third level fees. We have a cost-of-living crisis and this is impacting the ability of students and families to afford these costs. The poverty rate has actually increased after the budget by all of the metrics the ESRI has used. People are 2% worse off and it is inhibiting people from going to college.

Sentiment score: -0.24

We can all do what we will with figures but the reality is that families and students now are paying €500 more than they were for the last two years. That is the reality because of the removal of the once-off measures and when we take into account the increase in costs, in rents in particular. The average cost of going to college in Dublin, for example, increased this year to €20,777 a year, a 3% increase on last year. The main reason is the huge amount of money people have to pay in rent. On average, in Dublin, the rent that students pay is €1,200. It is roughly the same as the minimum wage in a full-time job. Some 83% of student accommodation is in private hands and that is the reason. There is profiteering and profit gouging going on and students are paying the price. A huge number of students have had to take on part-time jobs. Although the grants have increased, the reality is that students who are on SUSI grants are much more likely to drop out of college and not finish their degrees.

Sentiment score: 0.20

The Minister is suggesting he might take away the free third level education with his comment there. Yes, there are a couple of issues. It is a bad situation when Young Fine Gael was asking for a €1,500 reduction in fees and only a €500 reduction was given. The union of students in Ireland, AMLÉ, asked for a lot more and has expressed huge disappointment at what the Government has done. The dropout rate in college has increased by 15% in two years and 23% for students who are on the lower income levels. As I said, they are much more likely to drop out. The mental health toll on students is incredibly high. The increase in the fees will affect working class families and people on lower incomes more, as the Government has indicated itself. The SUSI grant eligibility will do very little to rectify that. One concrete thing the Government could have done was to maintain that €1,000 increase and it did not do it.

Sentiment score: 0.06