Labour slams alleged plans to increase college registration fee

Labour Party TD Jan O’Sullivan has criticised the Government’s alleged plans to increase college registration fees to €1,300 from next year.

The Union of Students in Ireland claimed yesterday that an official in the Department of Education had told it of the plans.

Ms O’Sullivan said today that the move, if true, would be the equivalent of the reintroduction of third-level tuition fees.

Earlier this year, the Government was planning to reintroduce tuition fees for "wealthy" families, but Education Minister Noel Dempsey was forced into an embarrassing climbdown due to widespread opposition to the move, particularly from the Progressive Democrats.

Ms O’Sullivan said the alleged plans to increase the registration fee would make college unaffordable for many people.

Last year, the Government increased the college registration fee by 79% to €670.