Ní aontaím leis an Teachta. Níl aon amhras go bhfuil méadú faoi leith tar éis teacht ar líon na mac léinn atá ag freastal ar oideachas tríú leibhéal sa tír seo thar na blianta. Tá sé sin soiléir. Tá infheistíocht stairiúil curtha isteach againn le blianta beaga anuas chun tacaíocht a thabhairt do mhic léinn. Tá i bhfad níos mó infheistíochta curtha isteach sna coláistí tríú leibhéal agus ina lán nithe eile. I came into politics because of my interest in two issues: Northern Ireland and education. Education has always been at the core of why I am in politics. The reason I joined the Fianna Fáil Party is that it was the party of Donogh O'Malley, who brought free second level education into this county. Throughout my political life, my fundamental motivation has been to ensure the children furthest behind are given priority. It is about access and participation. We have transformed participation rates in third level education. The Deputy will never acknowledge it but that has been the reality over the last two decades. That requires significant investment. I will repeat that we are one of the top countries in the OECD as regards participation rates in third level education. Students are not flocking out of universities. It is the opposite. More and more students are seeking more and more places. There is demand and pressure to create more places. We are doing that and will continue to do so. However, no matter what happens, I will prioritise the children who are furthest behind materially and children with disabilities. I am thankful that we have made great progress in respect of children who come from what we might term disadvantaged backgrounds. The figures are quite significant. Progression from DEIS schools to further and higher education has risen to 64%, closing the gap with non-DEIS schools at 80%. We now rank third in the OECD for tertiary attainment, with 54% of adults holding a third level qualification, well above the European Union average of 35%. At the start of the previous Government, I insisted that we would have a separate Department for higher education, research, further education and skills to give a focus on further and third level education and research. We have restored supports for PhD students, which are now substantial as a result of initiatives that have been taken. There has been an exponential rise in apprenticeships because of the focus that Department has brought to apprenticeships and skills over the past four years. Above all, we have widened access and there are a variety of instruments available to any Minister in any year in terms of prioritisation and what we do. That said, this time last year was exactly the same position because the previous year had not provided Estimates for the reduction of €1,000 that happened last year. It was exactly the same position and actually Sinn Féin had a motion down this time last year as well doing the exact same thing. There is an Estimates process and there will be a budget. We will look at the full range of supports, including fees. We will look at student supports and stronger supports for students with disabilities. We will look for stronger supports for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and we will look at progression into third level from different areas, and into postgraduate and research. There is a significant menu, and lots of instruments with which we can help students, particularly those on middle and lower incomes, to make college more affordable. It is across the full gamut of instruments we have or provision we can make in the budget.
Sentiment score: 0.15
The Minister, Deputy Lawless, did not say what the Deputy attributed to him. This is a classic performance from her, in terms of saying something that is not true. He never said that. His Estimate that was provided last year does not allow it right now, just the exact same as last year. There is an Estimates process and a budget like there is every year.
Sentiment score: -0.03
That issue will be addressed in that Estimates process and in the budget. SUSI grants and what we can do there will be addressed. Postgraduate supports will be addressed. Additional places in third level, which people are seeking in the areas of therapies, medicine, nursing and so on, all involve expense.
Sentiment score: 0.15
In fairness, I think the students of Northern Ireland would appreciate a bit of clarity from Sinn Féin as to how their fees still remain at over €5,000 in Northern Ireland, and the Deputy pontificates and says this Government is not providing clarity.
Sentiment score: 0.80
It is a Sinn Féin Minister for Finance, and they have the biggest allocation from Westminster in a long time, but they reduce everything to simplicity. We have a full range that we are going to provide-----
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-----and we will continue to provide supports to students-----
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-----and we will also continue to prioritise participation in education because it is a great gateway for people to progress in life.
Sentiment score: 0.78
I appreciate the Deputy's questions. We are under no illusions about the impact of the cost of living on families and people. The reality is there was an excessive inflationary spiral coming out of Covid and as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequential increase in energy prices. That did impact and that is why there were exceptional once-off cost-of-living packages in addition to budgetary measures in recent years. We are probably the only European Union country that was in a position to do the level of once-off cost-of-living packages we did because of successful management of the economy in recent years. I take serious issue with the Deputy's assertion there has been a failure to invest in public services. Let us take education alone. This September, for the first time ever, we will provide free books for every child at primary and second levels. That is not once-off; that is mainstream in the budget. It is provided for now in the base budget for education. St. Vincent de Paul and others have said that has had a significant impact, particularly for families on low incomes. In addition, the hot school meals programme is now in virtually all schools. Again, it is a structural change provided for in the base budget. We have a summer meals scheme for children as well. I could add more. There is free public transport for children aged between five and eight years. The public sector pay deal was negotiated. We introduced tax measures last year and a range of other measures. We extended the 9% VAT rate on gas and electricity. That measure will save money for hard-pressed families. In June the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, announced a 40% reduction in the renewable electricity PSO levy for 2025-2026. From 1 June, women can receive hormone replacement therapy, HRT, free of charge. From the beginning of June, the carer's support grant increased to €2,000. That is the highest level ever and this has benefited approximately 138,000 carers. Last week, the income level disregard for the carer's allowance was increased, meaning more people qualify for the allowance and more than 5,000 carers will receive an increase in their payment. The back to school clothing and footwear allowance will be paid over the summer months. Childcare costs have reduced this year and for September, and fee caps will be in place. Some 96% of children aged between three and five are now in the early years programme. That demonstrates significant investment in childcare over the past number of years. There is not credibility attached to the Deputy's assertion that there has not been investment in public services. There has been very significant investment in public services.
Sentiment score: 0.13
The Deputy may be aware that the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, has met with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, and has asked it to conduct an analysis of the Irish grocery retail sector, with a view to determine the existence of excessive pricing or not in an evidence-based way. We also have the equivalent of the agricultural ombudsman in terms of food prices. We are looking at strengthening the powers of the CCPC to protect consumers. Last week there was again engagement with the CCPC on the motor industry. The Government is very committed to reducing the cost of living. I did not outline a laundry list of measures; they are substantive measures that actually have been mainstreamed into budget provision. This year we will move to mainstreaming with our budgetary allocation. It is exactly the same situation as last year and as we did then, the Estimates process and the budget will deal with all these issues in respect of supports for students.
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Let me make one comment, which is probably an observation on the political world we are in today: all the parties on the left favour universality in everything in terms of provision and have not argued once today for targeting or prioritising those left furthest behind.
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It has been very interesting that in the past ten days, including today, their entire focus has been on giving everybody everything. Whatever scheme is brought in-----
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Through the Chair, I did not interrupt anybody. It is a case of giving everybody everything. In the last budget, we took significant steps with the child support payments for both under-12s and over-12s.
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Sorry, Deputy Hearne is not leader yet.
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In the last budget, I itemised the issues. The free schoolbooks scheme is now part of the budget and of the base, which is very important. It is not once off or anything like that. It is the same with free transport for those aged between five and eight and the hot school meals programme. We did not extend VAT either. I have made it clear that in the next budget, for the Government and in the context of the programme for Government, investment in housing and social housing will be key in addressing child poverty. Disability has to be prioritised through income supports. A child poverty approach in the budget is essential. I have a child poverty unit in my Department that will come up with proposals. We are committed to this but I hope I get the Opposition’s support. It is easy to call for everything for everything but, actually, we would not have the finances over a period to sustain that. We have invested hugely and we accept fully that grocery prices are at an elevated high. The rate of inflation has come down but that does not mean the new order has come down. Prices went up significantly in the past three years, particularly after the Covid pandemic and the energy crisis brought about by the war owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I have no argument about that, and that is why there were very significant once-off packages on top of the mainstream provisions for children, in particular in schools, which did bring down the costs for families. I recall that every autumn parents used to dread having to buy the schoolbooks. It was a big problem for them. We have removed that, essentially. The hot school meals programme is also a huge intervention. We can refine and improve it in terms of the quality of food and get all that right but it is a big change. I acknowledge that we need to do more about child poverty but there is a choice facing everyone in this House.
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There is only so much money-----
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We could spend billions of euro but the challenge really is the question of whether those opposite have the political guts to target.
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Yes, we do have the guts to take on anyone who is engaged in price gouging, absolutely.
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I think we need an evidence-based approach.
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There is an agency there, the consumer and competition authority-----
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The Deputies opposite know that. People come in here and make assertions but we have to do our business in an evidence-based way.
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In terms of the Agri-Food Regulator, we established it.
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The former Minister for agriculture, Deputy McConalogue, brought that in precisely to get greater transparency in respect of the differentials between what the primary producer earns - the Deputies know the primary producer was a key motivator behind the introduction of that regulator - as well as making sure that the primary producer would get a better share of the entire supply chain in terms of the costs right along the way. There was an argument that the primary producers were not getting a sufficiency of income for what they were producing.
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The fundamental point is this. We recognise that there are significant high prices, particularly in groceries.
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The issue really is in terms of the next budget and the Estimates, how best we use the resources we have to help those who need it the most.
Sentiment score: 0.78
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I know it is very close to his heart and an issue largely upon which he was elected. I appreciate and understand fully where he is coming from. He has raised it on consistent occasions in the House. As he knows, the Minister, Deputy James Browne, met with various stakeholders in Donegal in May of this year, including representatives from the Mica Action Group along with a large number of Donegal county councillors and senior management of Donegal County Council. Each group raised important issues, including the need to extend the eligibility of the cap and rate increase to a larger group of homeowners. Through these series of meetings, which lasted six to seven hours in total, the Minister saw at first hand the real difficulties defective concrete block homeowners are facing through no fault of their own. The scheme is important in that regard. Government has committed to this. The Minister will continue to engage, following up those meetings with the groups. There are complex issues around this. We have allocated a significant amount of money. About €2.2 billion is the estimate of what this scheme will cost. Interestingly, 2025 funding has increased by over 50%, from €45 million to €70 million. In other words, there will be €70 million spent this year as opposed to €45 million last year because the scheme is ramping up. Sufficient additional funding is now required to meet the demand for those who are participating in the scheme. We want to meet homeowners' needs in an efficient and effective way. At the moment, there are about 2,600 homeowners at various stages of the scheme. I will ask the Minister about some of the issues Deputy Ward has raised, for example, delayed payments. That should not be the case. We need a bit more consistent data in terms of the overall scheme. There are a lot of anecdotal stories. I am not saying they are wrong but I am just saying a lot of this is anecdotal at the moment. We need to develop consistent data in respect of this. The grant rates were set, and increased in 2024 again, based on expert advice at a level to ensure homeowners get the money they need to put their homes right. In order to ensure the grant scheme follows the most up-to-date science, changes were made to the scheme late last year to take account of the most recent research. There is forthcoming legislation which will make amendments to the grant scheme to allow these changes to be implemented by the administrators of the grant scheme - the local authorities themselves. As the Deputy knows, in March the NSAI commenced the public consultation period of the revised draft of IS465.
Sentiment score: 0.17
The Minister, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan and Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran will be meeting with the residents on that issue fairly shortly.
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Shortly. Next week. The issue is acknowledged. That meeting will take place next week.
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