Student fees to revert to previous levels 'as things stand', says Lawless
Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless has said that "as things stand" third level students will have to pay €1,000 extra in fees this year compared to last year.
Mr Lawless said last year's €1,000 reduction in undergraduate fees was part of a cost of living package which included other supports such as energy.
Fees will have to be reset, as will energy, Mr Lawless said, and this means fees will revert to the same level they have been at for the last several years.
"All of us in any walk of life have to play the hands were dealt," he said.
"If I don't have a cost-of-living package. I can't do those kind of measures that were done last year."
"I do intend to wind down the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government," he added.
He said there are a number of measures that begin this September to help students with grants and an increased threshold for qualification.
"We have increased thresholds, and for the first time ever, a household income up to €115,000 would receive at least some form of support," he said.
He added: "That's higher than it's ever been, and we also have a number of different ranges of support so you can get."
Mr Lawless said he has spoken to Minister for Housing James Browne to see how student specific accommodation can be carved out from newly-implemented Rent Pressure Zone rules.
"Although it is fairly straight forward to work out rules for student specific accommodation on campus, it is more difficult to quantify the situation for students living in private accommodation," Mr Lawless said.
He said that they will have to work out a formula.
"Is it that the accommodation is always only rented to students, and does that mean it matches minimum standards," he said.
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