Carol Nolan: Calls for student fee cuts, criticises stipend payouts
Carol Nolan spoke in support of a motion calling for a cost of living package that cancels a scheduled €1,000 student fee hike and reduces fees by a further €500, making the maximum fee this September €1,500 instead of €3,000. She urged the government to reverse the decision not to reduce student fees and highlighted working families in distress, saying the policy punishes those who work hard.
She supported a motion to introduce a cost of living package which cancels the scheduled €1,000 fee increase and cuts fees by a further €500, resulting in a maximum student fee of €1,500 this September rather than €3,000.
Nolan said many working families have contacted her in distress and despair, arguing they are "punished for working" and "taxed to the hilts." She said reducing fees is necessary to break a cycle of disadvantage and to support students rather than penalise families who work hard.
Following parliamentary questions last May, she stated that almost €9 million was paid out by the Department of Further and Higher Education in 2022 and 2023 in monthly stipends to Ukrainian students under temporary protection. She described the system as divisive because one category of students receives stipends while others are denied.
She said a further €10 million was paid out in other schemes covering post-leaving certificate courses and reiterated her call on the government to reduce student fees to ensure fairness between different student groups.
Motion and fee proposal
She supported a motion to introduce a cost of living package which cancels the scheduled €1,000 fee increase and cuts fees by a further €500, resulting in a maximum student fee of €1,500 this September rather than €3,000.
Impact on families and students
Nolan said many working families have contacted her in distress and despair, arguing they are "punished for working" and "taxed to the hilts." She said reducing fees is necessary to break a cycle of disadvantage and to support students rather than penalise families who work hard.
Payments to Ukrainian students
Following parliamentary questions last May, she stated that almost €9 million was paid out by the Department of Further and Higher Education in 2022 and 2023 in monthly stipends to Ukrainian students under temporary protection. She described the system as divisive because one category of students receives stipends while others are denied.
Other scheme payments
She said a further €10 million was paid out in other schemes covering post-leaving certificate courses and reiterated her call on the government to reduce student fees to ensure fairness between different student groups.
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Transcript
Thank you. Thank you. I will be supporting this motion before us here tonight, particularly the call to introduce a cost of living package which cancels the schedule 1,000 euro fee hike and reduces fees by a further 500 euro, meaning the maximum fee this September would be 1,500 euro instead of 3,000 euro. It is very unfair not to reduce student fees. I have so many families coming to me in distress, in despair. These are families who are working, they work hard but they feel that they are being punished for working, they are being taxed to the hilts and then we have a situation where we have families who are trapped in lower socio-economic groups. I suppose it is so unfair that they are punished also. We need to break the cycle of disadvantage and we do that by supporting students and not punishing families who work hard and pay their taxes. I think there absolutely has to be a reversal of the ludicrous decision not to reduce the student fees this year. So I am calling on government to reduce those fees to make it fair and it may be unpalatable for some to hear that I have had countless parents contact me as I have said following my discovery through parliamentary questions last May that almost 9 million euro was paid out by the Department of Further and Higher Education in 2022 and 2023 in monthly stipends to Ukrainian students who are currently under temporary protection. That system is divisive, the system is divisive, not my comments, my comments are facts. The system is very divisive that you can give it to one category of students but yet you deny another category. A further 10 million euro was paid out in other schemes covering post-leaving certificate courses goals and I'll end on that. Go og o'r.