The Department of Education has said the return of third-level fees remains firmly "off the agenda" - despite calls by some of the State's leading academics for their reintroduction.
A report by the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), revealed in The Irish Times yesterday, claimed fees are needed to combat the serious underfunding of Irish colleges.
It estimated that an additional €450 million a year is required to bridge the gap between Irish universities and their European counterparts.
However, a spokeswoman for the department yesterday said Minister for Education Mary Hanafin had stated "on numerous occasions" that she is not considering reintroducing fees. There had, she said, been "no change" to this position.
Commenting on the report, which said that the necessary increases in funding for higher education could only be achieved through the return of fees, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said the return of fees "cannot be supported".
While it welcomed the report's call for additional investment in third-level education, president of the USI Tony McDonnell said fees had been shown to have a "detrimental effect on student access and retention".
They would also not bring in the required amount of investment, he said.
"With this in mind, to call for an unsustainable level of fees is short-sighted and fails to take the reality of the situation into account," he said.
"The RIA is right to draw attention to the fact that the current situation where all seven universities are operating in the red must be addressed.
" the reintroduction of fees would put third-level education beyond the reach of some of the brightest and best in Irish society."