Cork TD Deirdre Clune has described the Government’s silence on their planned reintroduction of third level fees as deafening in the run up to the local and European Elections.

Fianna Fáil and Green Ministers, T.D.s and election candidates have been careful to avoid the issue of how and when they intend to reintroduce third level fees during this election campaign.

Their silence on the subject of their plan to reintroduce third level fees has been deafening.

In the absence of any details from the Government we still don’t know how the system will work, when it will be introduced and who will have to pay the fees. Parents are left in a difficult position where they don’t know if they face the prospect of having to pay the cost of third level education in increasingly difficult times or not.

Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe has clearly been silenced until after the local and European elections unless he scares off what little public support the Fianna Fáil/Green Government has left. It is unlikely that once these votes are cast that silence will continue for long.

In Government circles a vote for Fianna Fáil or Green local & European elections candidates will be seen as a vote of confidence in the Government’s handling of the economy and as support for their policies including the reintroduction of third level fees.