Extracts from Comprehensive Expenditure Report 2012-14 that make reference to Higher Education as compiled by TCDSU. Now with comments from TCDSU President in bold followed by extracts of text of Brendan Howlin’s Speech to the Dail.

The €250 increase may not seem like a lot but it must be viewed in conjugation with the other recent rises in the upfront charges for 3rd level fees, recently final year students have been paying more than double the cost of their first year just to finish their degree. Adding to these problems for budgeting, the individual and their family are also affected the cuts to things such as disability allowances and other seemingly unrelated measures. When the same family are affected by all off the small changes it is a big change, in fact is does not take many of the cuts and increases to cause big problems for the financial security of some families. We are deeply concerned for a number of our students that will be hit hard by the announced changes. Please see below for the details of the announcements.

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(vi) Increases to student contributions have been kept to the minimum possible;
There was a need to prioritise in this budget, but I doubt that any increase is the ‘minimum possible’ when all other eurozone countries have found a minimum much lower than Ireland’s €2250 charge.

(vii) While savings are being made to the grants system for post-graduate education, provision has been made to assist post-graduate students from lower income backgrounds;
The post-graduate grants system was only ever designed to help those from lower income backgrounds, I am deeply concerned that they will not be able to make these cuts without hitting some of the most vulnerable students.

(viii) A series of rationalisation and efficiency measures will be implemented in the sector, including rationalisation of VECs, reform of the teacher allocation process, the establishment of a single awarding authority for student grants and the merger of various educational bodies;
This has been announced several times already, it is good to hear that the Student Finance Bill is being enacted however this is not news. One has to think it was only reannounced to try and make other cuts sound better.

(ix) Within tight budgetary ceilings, provision has been made to support the rollout of important measures to enhance the quality of educational outcomes.
The quality of education has always been important to students and all those involved in the education sector. That said I am concerned that these support provisions will not correct for the damaging effects on quality that the 2% cut to the core grant of higher education institutions will potentially have.

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Overall, the Government has sought as far as possible to ensure that the education allocations for the next three years will support continued provision of a quality primary and second level education system, that a comprehensive further education and training programme continues to be provided and that higher education continues to make a full contribution to Ireland’s development and recovery.

Higher Education 
Savings in 2012 €24.6 million, Full year Savings €70 million

2% reduction in core funding for higher education bodies in both 2012 and 2013, a further 1% reduction in both 2014 and in 2015, in addition to adjustment for increase in student contribution.
This cut applies to both the Pay and Non-Pay Budget. The Non-Pay budget (which covers costs not related to paying staff costs and wages) of Trinity College and other 3rd level institutions has already been brutally cut after previous cuts to the core funding. I am afraid that that further cuts will have a direct impact on quality of teaching and support services. The SU will continue to fight to protect quality of services and education but the government must be made aware of the possible dire affects of its decisions, students have continued to succeed in the face of the recent adversity but we must stop before unrepairable damage is caused.

Termination of Technological Sector research programme
This programme related to the Institutes of Technology and will not directly impact on universities. 

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Student Support & Access
Savings in 2012 €15.4 million, Full year Savings €77.6 million

Amend grants system for post-graduate studies by paying fees only (no maintenance grant) for special rate students, and providing a €2,000 fee contribution grant to a further 4,000 students. Measures apply to new entrants only, from 2012. Existing grant-holders will be unaffected.
This does not affect current postgrads but will affect grant holders that wish to further their education from next year. The technicalities of this remain unclear at this point. We know know that students wishing to go onto graduate entry level 8 courses such as the P.Dip in Education and King's Inn Law Courses will be affected by these cuts. I do welcome that the government has recognised that it should not force students to drop out of education for financial reasons in at least one of its proposals. However the measures for new entrants are not enough to stop the reduction in access to education based on a students finances and cannot be accepted as a valid substitute. 

3% reduction in rate of student maintenance grant from 2012.
This means all grants will reduced by 3% from January 2012 including the remaining payments due from this year’s grant. The new figures on which payments will be calculated are:

Yet again the students under great financial pressure have been dealt cuts to small maintenance payments. The grant has now been cut 13% in 3 years. The small increases in funding for the Student Hardship fund will not be suffice to help all those who require help. The SU remains fully committed to raising more through our RAG activities and initiatives such as food hampers for those students in need, this cut will increase the pressure on these sources of support so we would like to appeal to those that can to help us

Introduction from 2013 of capital asset test.
I believe this is an attempt to ensure that financial support allocation takes in more factors. A fairer system must be considered an improvement but we must work to ensure that this new criteria is measured fairly and does not prevent anyone from entering higher education.

Certain capital assets will be included in the grants means test from 2013 – it has not yet been decided how to implement this decision, and we will be lobbying to be included in this decision making process.

Reduce allocation to fund for Students with Disabilities by 20% (demand driven)
This should not have a direct impact on students the assessment of students needs will not change and individual allocations should be unaffected, as this reallocation resulted from underspend in recent years. 

The concern about cuts to disability allowances remains however, disability students deserve to be given the same opportunities as others and many rely on extra funding in order to access these opportunities. We are know looking at what will happen to this funding for educational supports after 2013 when the current ESF agreement ends.

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Other Savings
Savings in 2012 €39.3 million, Full year Savings €37.6 million (sic the second figure is lower in the document this is taken from)

A range of savings across a number of other programme areas including savings from impact of earlier policy measures, savings from minor policy adjustments, administration efficiencies, reviewing allowances, savings from rationalisation of VEC structures, reducing the overall number from 33 to 16.
We must see the details of what these changes are although as a general principle increased efficiency that does not reduce quality or access must be welcomed.

Key Revenue Raising Measures

Higher Education
Savings in 2012 €18.5 million, Full year Savings €18.5 million

Increase the current €2,000 student contribution by €250 in 2012 and review progress in cost-recovery in the third level sector in line with EU/IMF commitments
We have seen in the past that everytime the upfront charge is increased more students are unable to return to college. It is with the deepest regret that we expect this to be the case next year after this announcement. I am disappointed that this government is attempting to enact a budget that will force more students to drop out of education based on their finances regardless of ability. Whilst I accept the country is being asked to make sacrifices I must condemn the government for so readily sacrificing the equal opportunities rights of many students so easily.

Extracts of text of Brendan Howlin’s Speech to the Dail

We have had to make the difficult decision to increase student contributions in order to protect the higher education sector from what would otherwise have been greater cuts in that area. While we have had to make savings by abolishing student support for some new post-graduate students, we will make a contribution towards the fees of the post-graduate students from the lowest income backgrounds. Substantial allocations will also continue to be made to assist students from lower income backgrounds to achieve an under-graduate qualification.

The Department of Education and Skills will continue the drive to reduce administration costs by proactively pushing rationalisation, efficiencies and economies in budgets, including the rationalisation of VECs, the optimal configuration of school provision, reviewing allowances, the establishment of a single awarding authority for student grants and the merger of various educational bodies.

The measures in the Education area which I am announcing today will save €132.3 million in 2012. This will allow the necessary expenditure targets to be met but will also provide the Minister for Education and Skills with the necessary resources to pursue important policy initiatives such as Junior Cert Reform and implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The 2012 savings measures include:

• A requirement for Post Primary Schools to manage guidance provision from within their existing Pupil Teacher Ratio allocations will save €10.4 million;
  
• A reduction in capitation grants to schools by 2% will make savings of €7 million;
  
• Phased withdrawal from 2012 of supports in some schools from earlier disadvantage schemes, pre-dating the current DEIS educational disadvantage programme in schools, will make savings of €6.5 million;
  
• Reduction of costs associated with trainee and apprenticeship schemes will yield €19.2 million savings;
  
• A 2% reduction in core funding for higher education will secure savings of €23.6 million;
  
• Increase of €250 in the third level student contribution will secure savings of €18.5 million; and
  
• Changes to fee and maintenance supports for new post-graduate students and reducing maintenance grants generally will deliver savings of €12.6 million.