105. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will reverse his decision to increase the student contribution fee for third level undergraduate students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37415/25]

Sentiment score: 0.20

Following on from the earlier questions, I again ask the Minister whether the fees will be €2,000 or €3,000 for the next academic year. I have had countless people, students and families, in touch with me to tell me that, if the fees are increased for the next academic year, they will not be able to afford them. This is wrong. It is not a position people should be put in. We need clarity from the Minister on this as soon as possible.

Sentiment score: 0.04

The comments the Minister made on national radio caused great uncertainty on this matter. We still do not have clarity on the issue nine days on. I will tell the Minister about the impact this uncertainty and the proposed hike is having on people. He said that he did not understand how people would not be able to afford this increase in fees. A mother in my constituency who has two children in college told me that she literally cried last Sunday morning when she heard the Minister on the radio. She said that finding another €2,000 for next year on top of everything else she is paying out seems undoable. It is no good to her to hear Micheál Martin and Simon Harris on the radio saying they are going to reduce fees over the lifetime of the Government. She needs it now, or at the very least she needs things to stay as they are, not to increase. What does the Minister have to say in response to that mother and will he provide certainty to her and the thousands of students out there who would be affected by this?

Sentiment score: -0.01

I raised the case of a woman in my constituency, and I ask the Minister for a response to that particular case and the questions that woman has about how she is expected to afford an increase in fees. Students need to be able to plan and budget in advance for the upcoming academic year and they need certainty around this. I want to know because this is the second time in recent weeks that students have been thrown under the bus by the Government. We had the rent reforms recently, which are going to have a disproportionate impact on students. What does the Government have against students? Students cannot just magic up €1,000. My constituents are telling me that. I know people from across the State have been writing to the Minister in recent days telling him that. I urge the Minister to listen to students and their families, and outline how people like this woman in my constituency are supposed to afford an extra €2,000 for the next academic year.

Sentiment score: 0.11