4068. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps he is taking to alleviate the ever-increasing costs of attending third level education for students and their families; the measures he has taken or will take to prevent the increasing of service charges beyond the rate of inflation or market price increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61455/26]

I am conscious of reducing the cost of education for students and I have consistently outlined my commitment to improving student supports in a way that is equitable, funded, and fair, and provides certainty for families.

Budget 2026 offered me my first opportunity to make real and permanent changes in support of students, which included the first permanent reduction in the Student Contribution fee of €500. It is my intention to continue rolling out equitable, sustainably funded, and fair measures over the term of this Government and my officials have been tasked with examining the feasibility and costs that would be incurred in the implementation of additional and new measures.

Other budget 2026 changes include increases to all SUSI non-adjacent maintenance grant rates; an increase to the postgraduate fee contribution; an increase in the special rate of maintenance grant threshold and increasing the income threshold for the €500 student contribution grant to €120,000.

The Student Accommodation Strategy, which was launched earlier this year, sets out Ireland’s national policy to support access to appropriate housing for students. Under this Strategy, I am committed to further expanding and enhancing supports that directly address the affordability pressures facing students, especially for those who need it most.

In addition to these measures, I provided €19.3 million for the Student Assistance Fund which is more than a quarter of a million euro up on the previous year. It is available to all students who have an emergency financial need and supports approximately 22,000 students each year.

Higher education institutions in Ireland are autonomous bodies responsible for administrative and academic affairs and financial management. They receive funding from a wide range of sources including service charges which they set themselves as funding authorities.

To inform decision-making head of Budget 2027, I will publish an options paper in the coming weeks which will identify costs and potential impacts of various policy options aimed at reducing the cost of higher education.

While I cannot confirm at this stage in the year the specific items that will be included in the next Budget, options to support students and reduce financial barriers will be key priorities for me as part of Budget negotiations.

It is important to note however, that any amendments or extension to the student grant scheme, including indexing, has financial implications and are considered in the context of overall budgetary constraints and the substantial number of competing demands on available funding.