Decision on third-level funding decision unlikely before summer end

A decision on which funding model to recommend for third-level education is unlikely to issue, from an all-party committee of TDs and senators, until late summer at the earliest.

Education Minister Richard Bruton has indicated he hopes to bring plans to Government ahead of October’s budget on how to bridge a €600m funding gap in the higher education system.

But he wants political consensus first and is awaiting the outcome of deliberations by the Oireachtas Education Committee on a range of options put forward by last year’s Cassells report, including the controversial possibility of increased student fees backed by loans.