The Minister for Further Education's remarks about student fees have thrown the budgetary plans for those aiming to go to university "into disarray", Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said.
Her comments relate to remarks by Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless in which he said that "as things stand" third level students will have to pay €1,000 extra in fees this year compared to last year.
The move would see the student contribution return to a figure of €3,000 next autumn.
Ms Bacik said the "massive hike" in fees has caused widespread concern among students and families.
"The budgeting plans for households, particularly with multiple children in third-level have been thrown into doubt," she said.
The Labour leader said people are wondering if they will "progress to third-level education" at all.
Ms Bacik said "no matter how it is sugar-coated" or "explained away" an extra €1,000 increase was the reality for people.
Speaking during Leaders' Questions, she said parents and students have no certainty ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year.
"People are feeling the shock of this," she said.
"It has thrown budgeting plans into disarray for many households," she added.
Ms Bacik said the protest outside the Dáil next week will call for a "halt" to the change in fees.
However, she suggested that the minister may have "U-turned again by then".
Also speaking in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said the Government claim they have student's backs but they have a very funny way of showing it.
He said the Government's move to hike student contribution costs cannot be blamed on Donald Trump's tariffs.
The Students' Union of Ireland described the announcement as a "calculated betrayal of students" and they are right, Mr Doherty said.
"Students and their families have had enough, they can't take anymore," he told the Dáil.
Social Democrats TD Cian O'Callaghan said the Government is breaking its promises to cut student fees.
"You are fooling no one on this," he said, and accused them of dropping "a bombshell" with the incerase in fees.
He urged the Government to stick to its committment to reduce the fees.
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said a number of once-off measures were taken in last year's budget.
He said the reduction that was made to student fees on a one-year basis was reflected in the cost of living package.
"We said as an incoming Government that the decisions that would make in the context of Budget 2026 would be decisions we would make on a permanent and a sustained basis," Mr Chambers said.
The Government, he said, has in previous years took "permanent action to reduce the cost of higher education", adding it will "make further changes again".
"It will be what we can do on a sustained and permanent basis," he said.
He said that they have to be cognisant of "economic uncertainty".
The minister said he was cognisant of the need to ease the financial burden on students and their families.
Minister Chambers said the Minister for Higher Education is prioritising affordability for students in his negotiations for the next Budget.
The decisions in Budget 2026 are about permament change, unlike previous budgets, he said.
Any decisions must be sustainable, the minister said.
He said more students than ever before are benefiting from the SUSI grant scheme and households with incomes of up to €64,000 do not pay a student contribution fee.
Protest to be held
Opposition parties are planning a major protest against any increase to student fees outside the Dáil next Tuesday.
The parties say they have been inundated with calls from stressed out students and their families who are worried about having to pay €1,000 more in fees this year compared to 2024.
Earlier, the Labour Party Spokesperson on Education said the last 48 hours have been chaos from the Government on the issue.
Senator Laura Harmon said the comments have "put so many students and their familites into worry and panic mode".
"It's clear there is disagreement within the Goverment themselves on this issue," she said.
Ms Harmon said there must be "a reversal" of the decision.
She said: "The Programme for Government clearly states they want to decrease the student contribution fee over the lifetime of this Government and if they going to be increasing it as a start by €1,000 - that's a very bad start."
Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins said the issue is like a "Punch and Judy show".
"It's like a pantomime, except I don't think anyone is laughing, particularly not parents and students across the country," she said.
Watch: Jen Cummins says Opposition 'united' against student fees rise
Ms Cummins said she has been contacted by "so many people" who have just completed the Leaving Certificate who are wondering how they will afford the fees.
She also noted that the Programme for Government set out to reduce student fees over the lifetime of the Government.
"However, there seems to be disagreement now between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as to whether that is the situation or not," she said.
Ms Cummins said the Opposition is "united" on the matter, adding "we will fight this".
She said she hopes that pressure will make Minister Lawless do a "u-turn" on the move.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy said the minister threw students and families into "turmoil" with the suggestion student fees are going to "increase by 50%, back up to €3,000".
He said "significant pressure" on Government about this issue is "welcome".
"There is no way that students and their families will stand for it," he said.
He said his party's position is clear, adding "third level fees should be abolished".
The Taoiseach admitted the Government's decision not to put a cost of living package in the next Budget will create challenges and right now the biggest one is student contributions.
Speaking during a four-day visit to Japan, Micheál Martin added the overall spending for the next Budget has not even been decided yet, and there are commitments around making more students eligible for grants.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government will help college students but added the Budget is being done in a different way this year.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet this morning, he said there is a need to "move beyond budgetary measures between now and Christmas and then another budget measures that kick in in January".
"But that's not the same thing as saying you can't support students in the here and now," he added.
Mr Harris said he is "very clear" that Fine Gael signed up to commit "to reducing college fees and ultimately abolishing them" in the Programme for Government.
The Tánaiste said the Government has found a way of helping students and their parents each year over the last number of years,
However, he added: "There won't be a big bang series of announcements to take effect before Christmas."
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said the Government needs to move back to more "normal" budgets.
Ahead of Cabinet, he said "in recent years", the Government had "brought in a series of measures that we said were temporary".
Minister Donohoe said: "They were brought in at a time in which inflation was rocketing, the cost of living was increasing at an extraordinary pace during that period, and we are now at a point in time in which the cost of living is still a big challenge for so many, but the prices are not going up at the speed at which they were over the last two years."
This, he said, means "we need to move to having more normal budgets".
