asked the Minister for Education the cost under the Higher Education Grants Scheme this year and in a full year of increasing in the case of larger families the income limit for fees and maintenance grants to £12,000 a year and of paying fees in such cases up to an income limit of £14,000 per year.

The estimated costs (i) in 1981 and (ii) in respect of the academic year 1981/82 under the Higher Education Grants Scheme in accordance with the revised rates of grant in respect of maintenance and fees to students for families with an income limit up to £12,000 a year, and in respect of fees in the case of families up to £14,000 a year are as follows:— (i) £5.238 million, (ii) £6.642 million.

These costs are inclusive of the cost of the grants on the basis of the conditions which applied in 1980-81. This cost is estimated at £3.425 in 1981 which is recoupable to the local authorities in respect of the 1980 financial year.

In the second figure does the Minister include the first figure?

I presume that the Deputy in referring to the first figure is referring to the figures which I gave in reply to question No. 25.

No. Question No. 26. The Minister said 5.238 and 6.642. Am I right in thinking that those are the figures he has just given?

Yes.

Does 6.642 include 5.238?

No, 5.238 is the estimated cost of the scheme as revised in 1981 bearing in mind that there was already payment of grants in the earlier part of 1981. The Deputy asked the cost of fees in a full year and the figure is given for the full academic year 1981-82 which, of course, includes portion of the cost of 1981 in respect of the latter half of 1981 from the commencement of the next academic year until the end of the financial year.

Would the Minister confirm to the House that as a result of these measures which are elaborated in Questions Nos. 24, 25 and 26 there will be additional Government expenditure in this year?

Absolutely.

Would he then reconcile that for me with the stated commitment of the Government to reduce Government expenditure?

The answer to the first part of the Deputy's question is that there will be an increased cost to the Exchequer in respect of the university grants changes in 1981 of £1.1 million. Of course, there are further increases in relation to these scholarships and grants in other areas and if the Deputy wishes I can give him those figures and the total.

In the round.

The total cost in the round as announced by me last weekend is £2.35 million in respect of 1981. I imagine that this is the figure which Deputy Wilson was anxious to ascertain from his question, but it relates to a different statistic and that is the reason for the overall figure which has been given in the official reply.

This is additional Government expenditure deliberately undertaken this year.