I propose to take Questions Nos. 100, 104 and 201 together.
As the Deputies will be aware the student contribution increased from €2,000 to €2,250 for the current academic year. The contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect of students who qualify under my Department's student grant scheme.
Conscious of financial pressures on families, tax relief provisions have been put in place which provide for tax relief at the standard rate of tax for full-time fees in excess of €2,250. In addition, my Department, through the Higher Education Authority (HEA), has requested institutions to put arrangements in place whereby a student may pay the contribution in two instalments. I have been assured by the HEA that these arrangements are now in place.
It is intended that the contribution will increase to €3,000 by 2015. All areas of Government spending are currently being looked at and in this context, the Deputies will appreciate that in line with normal practice I am unable to comment on the budgetary process.
The question of introducing fees allied to an income contingent loan scheme has been identified previously, including in the Hunt report, as a means of addressing future funding issues in the sector while retaining free access at the point of entry. A technical report on options for the development of such a scheme was developed by my Department in 2009 and is published on my Department's website. The HEA, at my request, is also undertaking a study on the sustainability of the current funding system for higher education. An initial report was published last year, and the HEA is continuing its work in this area.