The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, said he will not be pushing at Government level for the reintroduction of third-level fees, unless one of his colleagues indicates they want the issue reopened.
Although the forthcoming Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) review of higher education will recommend the reintroduction of fees, Mr Dempsey said the issue was firmly off the Government's agenda.
However, he said the report, to be published later this week, could serve as a bargaining tool in making the case for an increase in expenditure at third-level.
"The issue of third-level fees was dealt with by this Government. There is no going back on that," Mr Dempsey said on RTÉ radio yesterday. "I put forward the proposal. It wasn't accepted at Government. It's off the agenda as far as the Government is concerned."
"I have no doubt they're backing it for some of the same reasons as I put forward initially," he said. "[But] it does give me the opportunity of saying 'right, if we're not going to have fees, and we need more money into the system, then we're going to have to provide it as a Government. And that means an increase of expenditure at third-level.
"I made a deal that the fees item was off the agenda when I got that €42 million [for disadvantaged students]. And I don't go back on my word. Unless somebody comes to me and says they want to open it up in Government again."
Commenting on the enrolment crisis in the Limerick city area, Mr Dempsey said he was prepared to put regulations in place to compel schools to take in certain children, if he cannot reach agreement with schools today.
Sixteen pupils in the city have yet to find a second-level school for this academic year, leading to allegations that schools in Limerick are operating a policy of "educational apartheid".
"I would have to invoke and put in place regulations, which I'm prepared to do if we can't reach an agreement," he said.
"There is a provision in the [Education] Act that would allow me to do that. It hasn't been found necessary before this. But if we don't make progress on this, then that is an option that is open to me, and I won't hesitate to use it."