The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has triggered an important debate with his declaration that third-level fees will return for "those who can afford them". A Department of Education report due next month is set to decide whether third-level fees - abolished in 1995 - will return.
The latest reports suggest the minister is considering a range of options including a "learn now, pay later" student loan scheme. There is speculation the Government may opt for a policy mix which might include student loans, much improved grants for poorer students, and increased student registration charges for those who can afford them.
There are clear political risks for the Government if it implements some of these options. The abolition of fees was widely seen as a gift by the Rainbow government to the middle classes. The opposition parties have already signalled their strong concerns while the Union of Students in Ireland is warning of an "unprecedented revolt" if fees return.
Amid all the political tumult, it is important to remember Mr Dempsey's starting point. He is not motivated by any desire to make life more difficult for the middle and upper classes. His primary motivation is to achieve greater equality in the third-level system. He wants to end the scandal where huge swathes of our population are locked out of third-level colleges, because they lack the financial means. The minister has promised that any savings made from new charges will be diverted to help widen access.
Mr Dempsey is right to be appalled by the inequality at the heart of the Irish education system. How can it be right that students from the suburbs of south Dublin are ten times more likely to go to college than school-leavers from Ballymun or the inner-city?
There is another, still more fundamental, question in this debate. Is it right that the ordinary working-class taxpayer should subsidise the better off to achieve an expensive university education? Is it right that the ordinary taxpayer should fund someone whose degree will help to propel them further up the social ladder?
A loan system in which students repay the cost of their third-level fees - once they reach a certain income threshold - has been hugely successful in Australia where it has helped to widen college access by about 40 per cent.
Legitimate concerns have been raised by the Union of Students in Ireland about the dangers of students being left with an unsustainable mountain of debt, but with support from the banks there is no reason why this should be the case.
Mr Dempsey has embarked on a course which is fraught with political danger and one in which he is faced with some difficult choices. But he should press on. The current system , which exacerbates social division and inequality in this society, must be reformed.