Government rift deepens over college fees plan

THE rift in the Government over the return of third-level fees deepened yesterday as Tánaiste Mary Harney and Minister for Education Noel Dempsey stuck hard to their conflicting stances.

The prospect of a new international study on third-level education being used as a get-out clause from the present trenchant positions was also scuppered.

Denying that an Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development report on third-level education was a way out of his controversial position, Mr Dempsey said the report was a separate issue from third-level fees.

The minister insisted again he will bring forward his plans in the coming weeks and he had a lot of support for his proposals.

“The Cabinet will have to make the decision and I am quite clear in what I have said. I want to get more than two out of 10 people from lower socio-economic backgrounds into third level and I hope we can start doing that from September-October,” he said.

Although stating that the minister should remain in his portfolio, the Tánaiste remained opposed to third-level fees. It was unfair to reintroduce fees this year and the PDs remained implacably opposed to the plan, Ms Harney said, yet still believed the differences could be worked out.

“The Taoiseach and I work hard to manage our way through difficult issues where parties have a different approach and a different emphasis. I hope we will be able to do that on this occasion as well,” he said.

According to Mr Dempsey, the OECD report covers wider and separate issues than the current in-house review focusing on access to third-level education. The OECD has agreed in principle to carry out the review and the Department of Education is drafting background information and deciding on the terms of reference. But the OECD report will not be completed for 12 to 18 months, so will not affect the decision on fees, the department said.

As the minister finalises his proposals, the Union of Students in Ireland planned to heighten its campaign of opposition to the return of fees.

USI president Colm Jordan said he could not be responsible for the actions taken by students in protest at the proposal.

“I am not talking about a militant campaign on USI’s part. From the contacts I have had from talking to people, we will not be able to control the unilateral and individual actions of students,” he said.

According to Mr Jordan, many students will be forced to abandon their education for financial reasons because of the combined effect of the slashing of budgets for the Student Summer Jobs Scheme and the Back to Education allowance.

Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy described the decision to abolish third-level fees as the most socially regressive step ever taken by a Government, but said the decision to be taken by the Government now had to take account of people’s plans.

Fine Gael education spokesperson Olwyn Enright called on the PDs to come clean about their attitude to a college fees loan scheme.

Labour spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan said the OECD review was designed to save the Coalition from an unseemly split.