This year's USI parade was ostensibly apolitical. Nevertheless, some opposition politicians did turn up and gave their opinions later.

The Fine Gael spokesman on education, Richard Bruton, said there was "clearly a crisis of accommodation" and spoke of a "funding gap" in the area.

On raising the grant, he said: "I don't think that is viable in the short term," but he added that there was definitely a need to raise the grant for disadvantaged students.

When asked about the capitation charges, Bruton said: "I do see that as an attempt to reel that [free fees] back," something he felt that was wrong: "There should be free third-level education."

Green Party TD Trevor Sargent decried the Government's "cloak and dagger" approach to the capitation charge and said accommodation was the most urgent issue. The Government should look at the USI proposals and "fasttrack" them. "It's something they could do if there was a political will," he said.

Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins agreed with all of the proposals, saying that the accommodation plan in particular was "essential and extremely realistic" as it would free up a lot of rental places in the rental sector and cause prices to drop. On grants he said "raising grants is crucial to have young people from working class communities able to enter third level education."