Foot dragging on student fee increases must end

Foot dragging on student fee increases must end

Foot dragging on student fee increases must end - The Labour Party

Labour's spokesperson on further and higher education Senator Laura Harmon has called on Minister Lawless to provide clarity to students and families on the future funding structure for fees.

Following reports that Trinity College Dublin has sent invoices to students for fees amounting to €3,000, Senator Harmon said a decision must be made before the Oireachtas summer recess.

Senator Harmon said:

"The bolt from the blue from Minster Lawless is still sending shockwaves in homes across the country. Students and their families need to know what is going on. The commitment in the Programme for Government to reduce fees could not be any clearer, and I urge this Government to follow through with the promise they made to the public.

"The correspondence from Trinity College Dublin demanding €3,000 in fees for the forthcoming academic year will be a huge shock for many. Just yesterday, I was joined by hundreds of students in protest against any increase in fees. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been talking out of both sides of their mouth on this, causing more confusion and upset.

"An additional €1,000 a year is simply a bridge too far for students and their families. For any student or parent staring down the barrel of an invoice from a university for €3,000 will be galling. This is at a time when Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are sitting on a surplus of almost €1.8bn in the National Training Fund - money that could be used to make education more affordable and to offset the proposed increases.

"We need to get a full response from the Minister on this matter. What is the current status of fees for the forthcoming academic year? What has been communicated to further and higher education institutions? Why are Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil giving families the run around on this?"