Teachers are among those who can no longer afford third-level education for their children, Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has told the Dáil.

He said the threshold for third-level grants should be raised to accommodate the children of “working people in middle Ireland’’ who were unable to pay the fees because of the imposition of pension levies and the universal social charge.

“Statistics I received in the past week indicate 8 per cent of people who work in the public service are in receipt of family income supplement, which is rather alarming,’’ Mr Fitzmaurice added.

He said that in the past teachers in his Roscommon-South Leitrim constituency would have been regarded as financially comfortable.

“The sad reality now, however, is that these people cannot afford to pay their mortgages and so on.’’

Minister of State Damien English said the rates of grant and income thresholds for the grant scheme were announced annually as part of the budget process. There had been no changes in the 2015 budget.

He said the reckonable income for the student grant at the standard rate generally observed the percentage changes in average industrial earnings for specified reference periods, as provided for by the Central Statistics Office.

Mr English said the funding of education, especially third-level, was an issue for everybody, irrespective of job. The Government acknowledged and accepted that this was a difficult time.

“As I always say, we are trying to do our best to stretch the education budget, which includes the grant, as far as we can,’’ said Mr English, adding that a study was under way on the future funding of colleges, which would allow for a discussion on higher-level education.