2241. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider expanding eligibility criteria for the free fees Initiative to students who were born in and are citizens of Ireland but have not lived here for three of the previous five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18734/26]
Topics / Third Level Fees
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsThird Level Fees
139 questions from 55 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 13 October 2026.
139
questions
124 written, 15 oral
55
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
4
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 2 |
| February 2025 | 7 |
| March 2025 | 8 |
| April 2025 | 7 |
| May 2025 | 19 |
| June 2025 | 2 |
| July 2025 | 34 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 4 |
| October 2025 | 9 |
| November 2025 | 3 |
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 7 |
| February 2026 | 7 |
| March 2026 | 3 |
| April 2026 | 6 |
| May 2026 | 11 |
| June 2026 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 6 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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23
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11
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7
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5
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5
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5
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4
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3
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
2256. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department will review the residency criteria for the Free Fees Initiative and EU fee status as it applies to the children of Irish citizens who were forced to emigrate for economic reasons (details supplied); if he is aware of the significant financial barrier the 'three of the last five years' …
2257. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to confirm that there are NCI courses which are not eligible for the free fees initiative; to confirm the number of these; the reason they are not covered; if he will reassess the courses so they are covered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19871/26]
1254. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of cases where Irish citizens who have lived abroad for a period are being classified as non-EU students for fee purposes on returning to Ireland for postgraduate study; the rationale for the residency requirement that results in such classifications; if any flexibility, review mechanism,…
389. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost in 2026 of reducing all undergraduate third level fees under the free fees initiative to €1,500 from September 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11046/26]
392. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost in 2026 of reducing all undergraduate third level fees under the free fees initiative to €1,500 from September 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11060/26]
1246. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated additional cost incurred by students and their families in the 2025 academic year arising from the level of the student contribution fee prior to Budget 2026; whether his Department quantified this cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9494/26]
1247. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected timeline and fiscal pathway by which his Department intends to meet the Programme for Government commitment to reduce the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government; whether further reductions are planned beyond Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9495…
442. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the annual amount in fees which third level institutions received from students on Stamp 2 permissions in each of the past ten years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8967/26]
443. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the detail of any assessments or reports on the fees generated by international students in third level education carried out or received by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8977/26]
94. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to reduce university fees; if the Government is committed to fully abolishing university fees; when this will be realised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6908/26]
111. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has plans to reduce the student contribution fee for the academic year 2026/27, in line with Programme for Government commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6846/26]
137. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if fees will be abolished over the lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6723/26]
138. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if it is his intention to reduce fees for under- and postgraduates in Budget 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6921/26]
160. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline the end user cost of third level fees in each of the years 2024, 2025 and 2026; and his proposals to abolish fees. [6989/26]
170. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his reasons for refusing to abolish third level fees. [6722/26]
1078. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on commitments made in advance of the 2024 General Election regarding the abolition of third-level student fees; if he will clarify comments made on 14 November 2024 during an engagement with a student at Dublin City University in which he stated that he would abolish such fees; and the actions, if…
369. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider expanding the free fees initiative for college students studying a four year early childhood education courses at Marino Institute of Education (details supplied) considering it an associated college with Trinity College where students are eligible for the SUSI grant; and if he will m…
709. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if an Irish citizen living outside the State returning home to attend the leaving certificate cycle, can avail of the rate of student fees of an Irish resident for third level education; the requirements which must be met to avail of these fees and not international fees; and if he will make a statement on t…
963. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the new agreement between Dundalk IT and Queen’s University Belfast will have any impact on the fees charged to current or future students of Dundalk IT. [65989/25]
1160. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider extending the scope for the free fees initiative, which caps undergraduate fees at €3000, or €2500 as of the Budget 2026, to include undergraduate courses in higher education institutions that are currently excluded from the fee cap arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the …
812. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider extending the scope for the free fees initiative which caps undergraduate fees at €3000, or €2500 as of the Budget 2026, to include undergraduate courses in higher education institutions that are currently excluded from the fee cap arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59082/25]
878. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will examine the case of students enrolled in the Bachelor in Science in Education Studies and Bachelor in Science in Early Childhood Education programmes at an institute (details supplied) who are excluded from the “free fees initiative” and therefore not eligible for the recent €500 reduction in the s…
9. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the cost of third level fees in 2024 and 2025. [54973/25]
17. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the student contribution fee will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55507/25]