4086. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider reintroducing a €1,000 college-fee reduction, in light of the ongoing financial pressures facing families due to the high cost of food, utilities and housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63222/26]

The Programme for Government (PfG) contains several commitments which are intended to reduce the financial burden on students and families. One of these commitments is to reduce the Student Contribution Fee over the lifetime of the Government in a financially sustainable manner.

In my first budget as Minister for Higher Education, I delivered on this commitment. I reduced the student contribution by €500. This flat-rate reduction lowered the Student Contribution Fee from €3,000 to €2,500, representing the first permanent reduction since the Free Fees Initiative was introduced in 1995.

A €1,000 reduction in the Student Contribution Fee would cost almost €110 million annually. A reduction of this scale would need to be considered in the context of the Government's overall expenditure management and budgetary policy.

The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot confirm specific measures that may be included in Budget 2027 or subsequent budgets. While the recent Government decision to levy Departments to cover expenditure pressures in the Department of Education may limit the options available to me in this year's budget, it will not diminish my resolve to deliver for students and their families.