Third-level fees may be reintroduced for those who can afford to pay them, the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has acknowledged. In an interview with The Irish Times, the Minister said he could give no assurance to parents and to students that college fees, abolished in 1994, would not be returning at some stage.
While there was no question of fees returning for everyone, "the wealthy should be able to meet their own expenses".
If tuition fees were reintroduced, an annual charge of between €4,000 to €5,000 on average would be levied per student.
For more costly, specialist courses, the fees are likely to be higher - this is based on current fees charged to students who are not on their first course in college.
It would not, however, affect postgraduate students who currently have to pay tuition fees.
Mr Dempsey's officials are examining the future of the €350 million spent by the State on student support services - about €175 million is paid by the State to colleges for tuition fees.
"I have to ask if people on my salary - and people who are on even higher salaries - should be getting the benefit of this," he said. The Minister said his review was designed to help achieve wider access to third-level.
"This has nothing to do with Exchequer savings ...What I am talking about is making sure that the €350 million spent on student supports is paid out in such a way that those who deserve it actually get it; those who have never had the opportunity to go to third-level get that opportunity."
He said any savings made by the State from the possible reintroduction of fees would be diverted to those in need.
"The route I would like to go is proper levels of maintenance (grants); put proper grants in so that people who need this money...need this support, can get it.
Mr Dempsey said the lack of access to third-level was a blight on the Irish education system and one he was determined to address.
Figures published by The Irish Times last week showed nine of the 10 main feeder schools for UCD were fee-paying.
The Minister has yet to raise the issue of college fees in Cabinet, but the pressure for their return is growing in some Government circles.
On Friday's Late Late Show, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, said he opposed the decision of the Rainbow Government to abolish fees.
He also quoted Father Sean Healy, of the Conference of Religious of Ireland, who, he said, described the move as one of the most socially-regressive acts of recent years.
Earlier this year, Mr Dempsey provoked a political storm by increasing college registration fees by almost 70 per cent to €670. Ministers have defended the charge by saying the increase is only being paid by those students who can afford it.
"There is an inequity there and you have to ask the question whether the expenditure is skewed in the right way", particularly when considering the social background of those in college.
The Minister also hinted that funds might be diverted from third-level to primary to help address educational disadvantage. A Department of Education report on the future of student support is expected within months. This will help determine whether fees will be reintroduced for those with higher incomes.
Asked about the political risk involved in any reintroduction of fees, the Minister said: "It depends very much on how it is done. There are some middle-class people at the moment who do not qualify for maintenance grants and they would not be among the rich of Ireland. But I can't do anything to help these people at the moment.
"But if there is a new pot of money then I can divert money to those with real needs. I am not there to penalise the middle-classes. But I think the wealthy should be able to meet their own expenses."
Full interview: page 13
Editorial comment: page 17