“A MINISTERIAL report on the reintroduction of fees is being finalised and its themes will feed into development of next month’s budget.
“Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe said he is currently finishing his report on the future funding of third-level education.
“’The Government has asked me to do a report. I am finalising that report. At the present time we are looking at fees. We are looking at a loan system. We are looking at other mechanisms. We are looking, maybe, at a combination of both. And I will be making a recommendation to cabinet.
“’It is too early to say [if it will be completed before the budget] but I am trying to bring my report to a conclusion,” he said, emphasising the importance of proof to back up any measures taken.
“'[The fees issue] is obviously an important entity and I would like to feed that into the system if I can,’ Mr O’Keeffe said.
“The minister made his comments at the turning of the sod at a new public-private partnership school construction in Banagher, Co Offaly.
“Taoiseach Brian Cowen was also at the ceremony and said the Government had to find a way of sustaining the colleges sector.
“’I am not speculating on any particular proposals and those are matters for consideration by Government over the coming weeks. When the budget is delivered everybody can have a discussion about it then.’
“However, the plan to make an announcement next month was opposed yesterday by former Green Party education spokesman Paul Gogarty in his role as chair of the Oireachtas education committee.
“In a wording he proposed, the committee wrote to Mr O’Keeffe asking him not to make any decision on this and other third-level funding issues until it has been considered by the Higher Education Strategy Group. The group met for the first time last week and is due to report to the minister by the end of the year.
“Mr Gogarty said he would continue to act as chair of the committee in an impartial way, despite having resigned as Green Party spokesman on education.
“The Green Party opposed fees in its pre-election manifesto in 2007 and delegates at its annual convention last weekend voted to continue its opposition.”
[Conor Ryan and Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 13 March]