Simon Harris pledges to phase out third-level fees if re-elected
Simon Harris was responding to questions during an Instagram Live video on Tuesday, where one participant asked why the government had only opted for one-off reductions in fees over the last two years. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
Fine Gael's general election manifesto will include a commitment to phasing out third-level fees, Simon Harris has revealed.
The Taoiseach said he to wanted to see student contributions "phased out" during the lifetime of the next government.
Mr Harris was responding to questions during an Instagram Live video on Tuesday, where one participant asked why the Government had only opted for one-off reductions in fees over the last two years.
The Taoiseach said that it was a fair point, and then went on to say that Fine Gael favoured the phasing out of student contributions.
“I’ll let you into a little secret on my Insta Live, yes we will. I think we really need to phase out third-level fees,” Mr Harris said.
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“I’ve got strong views on that and when you see our manifesto at the weekend, you’ll see how we intend to do that too.”
Latest costings from the Department of Higher Education, published in September, estimated it would cost €288.9m a year to abolish the student contribution fee.
Fees themselves were reduced from €3,000 to €2,000 over the last two years, but were not permanent measures and were only set out as once-off cuts.
Fine Gael are expected to launch their manifesto over the weekend, with the party already setting out its stall on housing in recent days.
The party has proposed prioritising cost-rental housing for frontline workers, including doctors, nurses and Gardaí, alongside a €500 increase in the renters tax credit.
They’re also doubling down on the Help to Buy scheme, with promises to increase its relief to €40,000 and extend it out to 2030.
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