Fees return unlikely to get Cabinet approval

THE return of third-level college fees is unlikely to get Cabinet approval after the minor coalition partners reacted strongly to news that Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe is considering the move.

He said tuition fees will be considered as part of an overall review of higher education spending, but that any proposed charges would only apply to families who could afford to pay them.

The Green Party, which has two ministers, John Gormley and Eamon Ryan at the Cabinet table, said the introduction of third-level fees is not part of the Programme for Government.