More than 120 complaints were sent to Minister for Higher Education James Lawless after he signalled that cuts to third level fees seen in recent budgets may not happen this year.
The Fianna Fáil politician suggested in a radio interview that a €1,000 cut to the €3,000 fee might not be repeated in Budget 2026 due to once-off cost of living measures being dropped due to to economic uncertainty.
There was a public backlash after his remarks as well as division in the Coalition, with Fine Gael members angry about the controversy the issue generated for the Government.
Records released by the Department of Further and Higher Education in response to a Freedom of Information request show some 125 complaints were sent on to Mr Lawless between June 29th and July 9th.
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Of these, 35 were sent to Fine Gael politicians before they were forwarded to Mr Lawless. Thirty-three complaints were sent on to the Minister by the office of Tánaiste Simon Harris, a former minister for higher education.
A further 23 complaints were sent on to Mr Lawless after they were received by Fianna Fáil politicians.
During an interview on RTÉ radio on June 29th, Mr Lawless was asked about cuts in student fees. He replied: “All of us in any walk of life play the hands we’re dealt. If I don’t have a cost of living package, I can’t do those kind of measures that were done last year.”
He pointed out other supports available and said he did “absolutely intend to wind down the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government”.
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Many of the parents and students who complained wrote directly to Mr Lawless.
One parent asked for the fee to be kept at €2,000. “I do strongly feel that we are the squeezed middle in society, that work hard, pay [our] contributions and get on with things. But we are far from financially secure.”
A student working to fund their education wrote that they were “quite outraged” and that a return to higher fees “may mean that I will not be able to enter my third year”.
Student nurses were among those who sent some co-ordinated complaints. Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha wrote that the “mooted increase will have a detrimental impact on student nurses and midwives”.
One of the complaints sent on to Mr Lawless by Mr Harris’s office was from a parent with two children in third level education.
“Dear Mr Harris, I would like to tell you about my home tonight. My 21-year-old daughter started crying and apologised for the cost to us to send her to college,” they wrote.
A complaint sent on to Mr Lawless from Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s office was from a parent who said fee reductions of recent years had “helped enormously to reduce the financial burden on our family”. Of the possible return to €3,000 fees, they said: “I think Fianna Fáil has taken its eye off the ball.”
A spokesman for Mr Lawless said the Minister was “acutely aware of the financial pressures facing students and families” and he was “currently reviewing pre-budget submissions”.
He said Mr Lawless will enter budget negotiations “seeking the strongest possible package of student supports, with a particular focus on those most in need, while also securing sustainable, permanent reforms rather than one-year interventions”.
He also said Mr Lawless would be “fighting hard for measures that reduce the cost of education”.
The spokesman added that the Minister extended thanks to correspondents and he has offered to review “individual cases to understand why they were not already availing of supports given that the current income threshold is at a historic high of €115,000. This means the majority of families in the State are now eligible for support.”
A spokeswoman for the Taoiseach said: “Government will be examining ways to support those in third level education in the upcoming budget. Matters related to the Budget will be negotiated over the coming weeks.”
