Rose Conway-Walsh demands clarity on looming student fees
Rose Conway-Walsh spoke about student fees and financial uncertainty, demanding immediate clarity on how much students will have to pay in nine weeks. She criticised ministers for apparent backtracking on promises about student union fees and highlighted families facing impossible choices.
Immediate demand for clarity
She told the minister that parents and students need to know fee amounts now so families can budget, and commended students who gathered outside the gates and the new students' union for pushing back against the situation.
Personal cases cited
She recounted constituent stories to illustrate the impact: a parent with twin daughters unable to choose between them, a third-year global commerce student at the University of Galway worried about broken promises, and a single parent nurse in South Mayo fearful that child benefit and maintenance payments will stop when her youngest goes to college.
Promise on student union fees questioned
She said a minister had promised there could potentially be plans to abolish student union fees in the programme for government, but argued that promise looks to have been cast aside into the "pre-election commitment dustbin."
International students and healthcare families
She raised concern about internationally recruited students of internationally recruited healthcare workers, noting that some must pay international fees of up to €19,000 a year and calling that situation "totally, totally wrong."
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
I want to commend the students who gathered outside the gates this evening and the students who are here today and the new students union for pushing back against this just desperate situation. Parents and students need to know how much they will be paying in nine weeks time minister. They need to know this now. People have to budget. The members of this government don't seem to get this, but my constituents do. Ger Anise Mayo has twin daughters. She says, I cannot choose between our twins, who are both young, talented women. What a position to be put in, having to choose between your children. Or Joe, in his third year of global commerce at University of Galway, he says, we are promised by Simon Harris that there could potentially be plans to abolish student union fees in the programme for government, and that's what was promised. It looks like that promise is now with the others in the pre-election commitment dustbin. Nicola in South Mayo also wrote to me explaining that although a single parent with two children, one of whom is autistic, because she is a full-time nurse in Mayo University Hospital, she doesn't receive any kind of social welfare. Nicola is fearful that her child benefit and maintenance payments will both stop in August, when her youngest hopes results pending, will be heading off to college. All of these are hard-working people contributing to society in a range of ways. Another cohort of students I want to talk to you today about, Minister, are internationally recruited, the students of internationally recruited healthcare workers. I spoke to one today over at the INMO conference, her child came here to Ireland to live. They have to pay international fees up to €19,000 a year. That is totally, totally wrong.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
