I will set out the backdrop to this in the context of the measures that the Government has taken over recent years to make permanent and sustained reductions and interventions that are affordable for many students. If you look at the measures that have been taken, more students than ever are benefiting from financial support through the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant support scheme. One in three students paid no student contribution last year, which is over 44,000, while almost half of students were supported in some way through SUSI last year. Standard rate income thresholds are being increased by 15% from September, one of the largest increases to maintenance thresholds. Households with incomes of up to €64,000 already do not pay a student contribution. There are higher ceilings for families with multiple people attending college at the same time or higher numbers for children. Maintenance grants have been fully restored for eligible postgraduate students and SUSI fee support is now available for the first time ever for specified part-time in-person or hybrid courses. Despite these measures and permanent changes that were made over a series of budgets, we recognise that many families are under pressure. That is why, in the context of budget 2026, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless, has said that, in the context of moving away from one-off cost-of-living packages, he wants to see how he can deliver sustained, permanent and costed changes to, for example, the student contribution fee, supports around maintenance and the variety of supports that are there for students. He wants to set that out in the context of the envelope that will be made available. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, will publish an options paper on the cost of education ahead of the budget, setting out the pathways to do this. It will be negotiated in the normal way. Both the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and I approach budget 2026 against a backdrop of a huge level of economic uncertainty. I did not hear the Deputy reference that issue in his contribution. We are one week away from the 9 July tariff deadline. The Exchequer returns due to be published next week will give a point-in-time indication of the broader economic position our country is in. We know that the global position is changing. The concentration risks around corporation tax and income tax are there and must be reflected in a cautious and responsible approach to budget 2026. The Government is engaging in two important pieces of work. One relates to the summer economic statement and setting out the overall envelope for 2026. The other relates to work on the national development plan - which I know the Minister, Deputy Lawless, has significant ambition for - to drive continued support and capital investment in the third level sector in particular. With all those major downside risks, we are trying to approach this in a cautious way. We will in the coming weeks agree an envelope that will be made available in terms of current expenditure changes and permanent increases in current expenditure across government. It is in that context that the Minister, Deputy Lawless, will be seeking to prioritise continued supports for students and families and to make permanent changes across a range of supports, whether targeted in nature or around the student contribution fee. It is in the context of the budget negotiation process that we will be able to set out the position for families in the aftermath of budget 2026 and what will be possible. The Deputy knows, as does everyone else in the House, that this is the normal way we engage in the budget process. We are not announcing measures or changes right now. We are engaging in the summer economic statement process and agreeing a new national development plan to set out the broader economic context for 2026.
Sentiment score: 0.17
The economic position our country is in cannot just be dismissed. We must approach budget 2026 with caution. We know if we strip away the windfall nature of many of our tax receipts, there is a potential risk around a deficit position in our economy, which we cannot ignore and the Deputy should not ignore as a finance spokesperson for the main Opposition party. It is in this context that we are working on the medium-term expenditure strategy and on what targeted, sustained supports we can bring forward and give to families to make public services more affordable and support families when it comes to higher education and the cost of education more generally. It is within this context that we are negotiating budget 2026. I say to families that we will agree an envelope that will be available for changes around taxation, current expenditure and, indeed, the uplift we want to give to capital in the economy.
Sentiment score: 0.23
This will form the basis of our discussion with all Ministers on what changes we can make for budget 2026.
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That is a normal part of the budgetary process that this Government is committed to advancing.
Sentiment score: 0.27
As the Deputy knows, in last year's budget, we set out a number of measures of a one-off and temporary nature. The reduction that was made on a one-year basis was reflected in that cost-of-living package. We said, as an incoming Government, that the decisions we would take in the context of budget 2026 would be taken on a permanent and sustained basis. It is on that basis that every Minister will be engaging with me and the Minister for Finance on the envelope that is agreed by the Government in July about his or her priorities in the context of each Department. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless, has also said that in the context of a pathway on the cost of education, that publication will be made prior to the budget. He has engaged with many student representatives, recognising the costs that many students face. This is why the backdrop is important. There have been sustained cost reductions in recent years. For example, reckonable income is now €64,000, standard rate income thresholds will increase by 15% from September, which is one of the largest increases to maintenance thresholds, and one in three students pays no contribution. In previous years, Governments took sustained permanent action to reduce the cost of higher education. What we are saying in the context of budget 2026 is that we want to make further changes but it is about what we can do on a sustained and permanent basis. We have to be cognisant of the economic backdrop, something the Deputy dismissed in her contribution. We face significant economic uncertainty. Everyone in this House needs to realise the level and degree of the concentration risk for corporate risks that exists right now. The changes being undertaken by the OECD in the context of corporation tax bring uncertainty. The underlying trade environment and the open trading economy Ireland sits within present significant uncertainty. This is why we need to approach budget 2026 with caution and we must be assured that the decisions we take can be sustained over the medium to long term. It is on that basis that we are trying to calibrate a tax and expenditure package that is appropriate and responsible. This will involve Ministers making choices and setting out clear priorities around their expenditure demands or changes they want to make to taxation. Ensuring we protect the resilience of the Irish economy is central. If we look at the past number of years, we can see that there has been significant growth in public expenditure in responding to the series of crises the Irish economy faced. We now know many of the downside risks that exist could well crystallise in the short term, which is why we need to be careful around overall expenditure.
Sentiment score: 0.12
What I have been very clear about is that this issue will be part of the broader discussion on budget 2026. That is how annualised budgeting works in this economy and many other economies around the world. That is what we are seeking to do. We will set out an envelope in the coming weeks and each Minister will have to prioritise within that his or her overall expenditure demands. Of course, I am cognisant of the need to ease the financial burden on students and families over the lifetime of the Government. Part of that is around the student contribution fee but there are other changes that could be made in terms of income thresholds for SUSI and other grants which have targeted and direct support for students. It is examining the broader issue of costs for third level students and, indeed, for other students at primary and secondary levels around the overall costs of education. The past number of years have seen sustained supports on a permanent basis across many areas of our education system. That is what many of my colleagues will be seeking to prioritise as part of budget 2026 but that process is important in terms of what is possible for next year.
Sentiment score: 0.20
It is important we are clear on the budgetary context for budget 2026. Many of my Government colleagues have many priorities in their respective Departments and policy areas which they will commence negotiation on at the end of July and through August. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, has been clear that affordability for students is an important priority for him as part of his negotiation for budget 2026. That is the context. We will engage in the overall envelope as part of what will be available for budget 2026 and it is in that context we will be able to see what is possible for supports around the student contribution fees or, indeed, changes to income thresholds, maintenance grants and the breadth of other supports which are important to support students across our third level sector. The distinction between what has happened in the previous three years and the process we are now entering into is that the decisions we will make as part of budget 2026 are about making permanent and sustained changes for households and workers across our economy. As a Government, we have been clear that the cost-of-living packages introduced in previous years are not part of the budget 2026 process. It is on that basis that different Ministers will set out their priorities. Obviously, bringing affordability to public services, whether in education, childcare or health, is an important component of many aspects of the programme for Government, including the student contribution fee. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, has engaged extensively with the third level representative bodies and directly with representatives. That is why he is developing the cost-of-education paper which will inform his negotiation as part of budget 2026. I have also been clear that the overall budgetary context is different this year than it was in previous years. We have significant downside risks facing the Irish economy and endless expenditure asks from anyone in the House need to be carefully managed so that we can sustain whatever decisions we make into the medium to long term. We have a lot of competing demands in government, including significantly ramping up investment in infrastructure and housing, along with supporting the ambition in terms of the enterprise economy, social protection and many other areas of expenditure. As part of budget 2026, we are engaging in a negotiation, in the aftermath of the summer economic statement, and affordability for students will form part of that overall discussion. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, will engage with everyone across the Government around what is possible within the overall envelope. It is distinct from previous years in that one-off measures will not feature in budget 2026.
Sentiment score: 0.27
We will engage in a budget process in the coming weeks, and affordability for students will be a key component of that in terms of trying to continue the permanent changes that were made in recent years. That is the context in which every Government Minister will engage as part of budget 2026. We need to respect that. The measures will be outlined on budget day in October. On the overall trade environment, the disruption caused by tariffs has been significant since January and has created huge uncertainty in the Irish economy. The changes to the treatment of corporate tax as part of the OECD process bring significant uncertainty. We take those risks seriously. There was discussion during the election campaign about President Trump and the impact the overall trend of deglobalisation would have on the Irish economy. If there are changes to the economic context, the Government or anyone in the political sphere must respond in that context. We want to prioritise the continued affordability of public services for citizens across the State and continue the progress we have made in budget 2026.
Sentiment score: 0.11
I thank Deputy O'Flynn. I take with great seriousness the issues he has identified on the experience of individuals relating to the protected disclosures regime. As he knows, we have various legislation from 2014 up to 2022 reflecting the updated reforms introduced, some of which were introduced in the aftermath of some of the cases he has referenced, and reflecting best practice. Under the current regime a review is built in under the 2022 Act, which is due in 2027. We also have the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, who independently has a statutory function in the context of protected disclosures. Support from my Department is given to Transparency International Ireland; its Speak Up helpline is funded by the Department to support those who make a protected disclosure. Strong legislative and statutory frameworks must also be matched by implementation across Departments, which have responsibility at statutory and departmental level for statutory and mandatory disclosures. In terms of protected disclosures and Deputy O'Flynn's request for a review, I am happy to engage with him or to get feedback on the experience of the individuals concerned. We need to have a protected disclosures environment which works in the interests of whistleblowers, who should be protected and supported with whatever issue they want to raise. I am happy to reflect on what Deputy O'Flynn has said today in this context, taking into account the fact there is a statutory review period built into the existing legislative framework. I will ask my officials to reflect on what Deputy O'Flynn has stated and what has emanated from what has been expressed by others involved in particular cases.
Sentiment score: 0.56
My Department works with the protected disclosures national advisory group, a forum of disclosure managers from Departments, public bodies and prescribed persons to share best practice and identify any challenges that are emerging from the existing legislative framework. I will ask them to review what the Deputy has stated and feedback from others in the context of what he has said regarding the existing legislative position. Important reforms were made in 2014 and in 2022, all in the interest of supporting those who make a protected disclosure to Departments. I want to ensure that the framework we have is in line with best practice, both in at domestic and European levels-----
Sentiment score: 0.63
I assure the Deputy that this is my genuine intention. A legislative framework must protect whistleblowers and those who make a protected disclosure. I will ask the advisory group, which consists of a number of members across different Departments, to review what the Deputy has said and indeed if there are any reforms-----
Sentiment score: 0.36