One thing we definitely can agree on is the need to make education as accessible as possible. We know many people do not realise what is available to them and we must ensure they are made aware. This is really about the type of vision the Minister has for third level education. I think he probably does have such a vision. It was a disappointment that the reduction in the charge is not a permanent measure, with a view to abolishing the charge. Sometimes, these decisions are made by the Ministers for Finance and for …

It was astonishing for most people that student accommodation was not mentioned once in the contributions of the Ministers, Deputy Michael McGrath and Donohoe, on budget day at a time when people and students are struggling as a result of a lack of student accommodation, both purpose-built and general, to be availed of. Will the Minister give an update on the issue of student accommodation within budget 2024?

Students protested outside Leinster House just days before the budget because the cost of student accommodation is at an all-time high. When we hear about people paying the likes of €12,000 for student accommodation, we know something has gone terribly wrong. Affordability is the crux of the issue. We are seeing high-end accommodation coming on stream. Students are saying they do not need this kind of high-end accommodation and cannot afford this kind of high-end student accommodation. Students are having to commut…

Will the Minister say when the strategy will be published? Despite being in this role for only a few months, from going around the different universities and speaking to them I think the issue of affordability stems both from the housing crisis and from the issue whereby we are seeing really high-spec accommodation people would never be able to afford. Even if you were working full time, you would not be able to afford that kind of high-spec accommodation. That comes from the for-profit model universities have to o…

I have put this parliamentary question in since the start of September and have not got the kind of response I was looking for. It relates to the number of apprentices waiting for off-the-job training at levels 2, 4 and 6. I have sought a tabular breakdown, which I obviously will not get in oral questions. Will the Minister of State clarify why I cannot get that as a response at all?

I still do not understand why I could not get the response in writing at the start of September. I have never seen it happen before that I have not been able to get a response when I have continually asked the exact same question and the exact same response was given. It really annoyed me. The Ministers have taken their eye off the ball. The response I got after much pestering was that 7,500 were waiting. That is a significant number of people. We were just discussing student accommodation and we are aware of the h…

I look forward to reading it in detail. Obviously, the Minister of State will not say to me on the floor of the Dáil that he took his eye off the ball. I am aware he will not do that and that he is trying to fix the issue, but how did we get to this point where he is saying the number was more than 8,000 at the end of September? The response I got was from the start of September. This is really important. I know the Minister of State knows that but the eye has to have been taken off the ball. I do not see what else…

I would be interested to hear an update on the efforts to increase the number of graduate entry medicine places. Maybe it is my age but more people I know are going into graduate entry medicine than before. What are the efforts to increase the number of such places and the reasons for not reducing the fees to attract more applicants and from more diverse backgrounds?

I thank the Minister. I am not harassing the poor souls who write responses to parliamentary questions but I am a little bit confused. I submitted a parliamentary question on this issue because I am confused about the current approach. The response to a parliamentary question I received from the Department stated: "The State contribution was €11,950 per student with the balance of fees payable by the student." Different colleges have different fees. In UCD, for example, students pay fees of just under €17,000. Taki…

That confuses me in a different kind of way. I am not suggesting that the Minister is not outlining the facts but if the money coming from Government for fees is increasing, surely there should be some kind of conditionality that the fees charged to students decrease. It is my understanding that the fees will increase again next year. That is what students have told me. The reality is that the cost of these fees has a corrosive effect on diversity in the medical vocation. The cost of fees continues to make medicine…

With my questioning. I thank the Deputy.

In recent weeks I have met students in the North. I ask the Minister to provide more detail, as per the question.

That is interesting. What additionality does that new teaching block entail? I would be interested to hear about that. I am from Galway, and anytime I am in Derry I always think they are very similar cities. The benefit a strong university town can have for everybody across the city is really powerful. I therefore welcome this funding and the expansion in the form of the new teaching block. I would be interested to hear, though, exactly how that will work out and what it will entail. I agree 100% with the Minister …

I was recently at Queen's, where I myself studied for a period. I was with our spokesperson on further and higher education, Pádraig Delargy, and we met with Queen's management and students. We met many students as part of the freshers' fair as well. Another group we met with that I thought was very interesting was the secondary students' union. It really wanted to highlight the fact that it can be so difficult for students from the North to study in the South. It is welcome that that group has come together, and I…

I was down at the National Maritime College of Ireland, NMCI, which is a fantastic facility. If we are looking to create jobs for the future and the green agenda, the NMCI has so much potential. It is already delivering a great deal but it needs investment. It has always been ahead of the game compared to other colleges around Europe but we must ensure that it has investment. The amount of investment needed is not massive but some increase is necessary to ensure the college can remain ahead of the game.

The delay we are seeing at our driving test centres is as much tied up with the housing crisis as other things. Unfortunately, Galway is an excellent example of this. I have pointed out countless times in this Chamber that there are no affordable rental properties for those accessing the housing assistance payment in Galway, which means that people whose lives are based in the city are forced to move farther out in the county to find a place to live. In many cases, this means they need access to a car. I know of pe…

Right at this moment, we are witnessing the genocide of the people of Gaza after years of witnessing their destruction and the pain inflicted upon them by an apartheid regime while the world sat back and watched it happen. We are told, and I have heard a few times in this Chamber, that even wars have rules. It cannot be the case that the breaking of those rules is okay for some countries. When the Israeli Government blatantly told us on the world stage that it would break international law once again, instead of ou…

Hear, hear.

I am being contacted by so many medical card holders who simply cannot access dentists. When I contact the HSE about which dentists are providing services to medical card holders, I am told there are 30 dentists in Galway city and 11 in County Galway, but that is just not the case. What is the update on that? When can we expect medical card holders to be able to access that dental service? I have dealt with a woman who needed a tooth removed and was in massive pain but just could not find anybody. It is really an u…

In recent days and weeks, we have seen many young people starting college or starting their second, third and fourth year. It is a time that should be so exciting for young people but it is clouded by the housing crisis and the very real impact it has on students. I ask the Minister to give an update on what he is doing to expand the current offering of student accommodation.