“Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that have been put in place to help students returning to third-level education who are uncertain as to the way in which they will pay fees, especially in cases in which part-time income has been affected by Covid-19 …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the student contribution charge for higher education by €100, €200, €500, €1,000 and €3,000, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 28 July]
“A €500 reduction must be made to the Student Contribution Charge immediately to ease some of the financial pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Union of Students in Ireland. Government must also support students who will be expected to work remotely for much of the new academic year by creating and investing in a new scheme that provides access to devices and better WiFi …” (more)
[USI, 21 July]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for ‘an immediate reduction’ of the student contribution charge by €500, as well as the elimination of the residency criteria on the free fees initiative. Today, USI has published a document that it presented to Minister for Higher Education, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, outlining the union’s ‘priorities for the new government’ and what students need in light of the pandemic …” (more)
[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 8 July]
“A deal for a Government programme has been finalised by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and The Green Party, with Micheál Martin set to take on the role of An Taoiseach before it is rotated to Leo Varadkar in 2022. The programme for government includes the abolishment of the Direct Provision system and changes in governance for the Higher Education sector …” (more)
[Mahnoor Choudhry, College Tribune, 15 June]
“Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if grant thresholds are being extended; and if the registration fee has been considered for abolition (details supplied) …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 27 May]
“Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of abolishing third-level student fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 13 May]
“There has been ‘no indication’ from the Department of Education and Skills that any changes to third level institutions’ fee levels are imminent, according to a spokesperson for the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Concerns have emerged on how University College Dublin (UCD) intends to mitigate a negative financial impact of up to €100 million by the end of this year …” (more)
[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 12 May]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called on Ireland’s next government to remove the student contribution charge – at €3,000, the second-highest college fee in the EU – and advocated for free public transport for students, in its general election manifesto released this evening …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee and Cormac Watson, University Times, 15 January]
“With September looming, the annual news cycle has invariably turned to the perennial problem of student accommodation, or, more correctly, the lack of it. What is increasingly clear is that, with their eye-watering rents, the newly built purpose built student accommodation blocks found on most college campuses have done little to alleviate the issue. In fact, far from providing a solution to the accommodation problem, they are starting to look more like corporate investment vehicles …” (more)
[Donal Horgan, The Burkean, 24 August]
“Families who cannot afford to send their children to university should consider more affordable options in regional colleges, Minister for Education Joe McHugh has said. He was speaking after more than 58,000 students received their Leaving Cert results on Tuesday morning …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 14 August]
“The education minister has denied he is electioneering over promises to freeze student fees. Joe McHugh has previously promised there will be no increase to the €3,000 student registration fee, and he says he does not see any price hike if Fine Gael remain in government – a statement that has been criticised as ‘electioneering’ as the nation prepares for an upcoming general election in 2019 or 2020 …” (more)
[Aoife Moore, Belfast Telegraph, 13 August]
“Education Minister Joe McHugh’s political promise to freeze college fees for five years was made without any input from the Department of Finance, the Irish Examiner understands. The promise to freeze fees at €3,000 a year for college students was made by Mr McHugh despite ongoing demands from universities for the Government to address a major funding shortfall in the sector …” (more)
[Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 12 August]
“A formal loan scheme for third-level students will not be introduced and college fees will be frozen, the Government has pledged. Minister for Education Joe McHugh said university registration fees will not go beyond €3,000 per year if Fine Gael is returned to Government after the next general election …” (more)
[Jennifer Bray, Irish Times, 11 August]
“Minister for Education Joe McHugh has pledged not to raise college fees past €3,000 for the next five years if his party is returned to government in the next general election. In a move that echoes the recent promise by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar not to increase Ireland’s fees …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 11 August]
“Education Minister Joe McHugh has told the Sunday Independent that college fees will be frozen for five years if Fine Gael returns to government after the next general election. The cap for annual registration fees is €3,000 per year and McHugh told the paper that the party has ‘no plans’ to increase that …” (more)
[TheJournal.ie, 11 August]
“It was around this time three years ago that the Cassells report – a groundbreaking review of potential higher education funding strategies – was officially released. Three years later, and still the government has failed to act. There’s been talk. Committees have convened. Options have been discussed. But the government has consistently failed to deliver on the report’s most crucial recommendation: action …” (more)
[Jack Synnott, University Times, 15 July]
“Minister for Education Joe McHugh has said reducing student contribution charges by a third would cost the government over €76 million, while taking €500 off the charge would set the Department of Education back €38 million …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 12 July]
“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a reduction of €100 to the student contribution at third-level …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 11 July]
“Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated first and full-year cost of reducing the student contribution rate by €250, €500 or €1,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 10 July]
