The Minister for Education's proposals to reintroduce third-level fees for the wealthy is more to do with saving money than tackling disadvantage, Labour Party leader Mr Pat Rabbitte said today.
Mr Rabbitte also warned Mr Dempsey he could not rely on the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to support the plans, which are due to be considered by the Cabinet before the Leaving Certificate starts on June 4th.
Mr Dempsey made a spirited defence of his actions in the Seanad last night, effectively putting his Cabinet place on the line. He said "no civilised society" should tolerate a system where access to third-level is decided by one's address or family background, rather than by academic ability.
"Can we as a society continue to justify the expenditure of millions of euro . . . to meet the costs of free fees for the children of those in the highest income brackets when . . . all the evidence tells us that those at the other end of the economic spectrum continue to be excluded from third-level education by virtue of, amongst other factors, inadequate supports? You may be comfortable with that. I am not," he said.
Mr Dempsey also accused some members of the Labour Party of hypocrisy. He said those who were members of Democratic Left described as a "regressive step" the scrapping of third-level fees in 1994.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Irelandthis morning, Mr Rabbitte said the plan to re-introduce fees for high-income families is yet another cutback by the Government.
"All the evidence is that this is not at all about tackling disadvantage. This is about saving money," he said.
"If I thought for one moment . . . that the very high rollers that the Taoiseach talked about were going to be made pay for the education of their offspring, and that this was going to make a real impact on disadvantage, I would lose no sleep about it at all".
Mr Rabbitte said Mr Dempsey could not count on the support of his Taoiseach.
"I'd be very wary if I was Minister Dempsey about strong support from the Taoiseach. Remember the Taoiseach dropped him in it before. Remember this is the same Minister who flew a number of kites in the last government, all of which came to ground," he said.
"The one that the public know about is the ending of the dual mandate and when it came to choosing between Jackie Healy Rae or Noel Dempsey. Bertie Ahern chose Jackie Healy Rae. Bertie Ahern will do whatever is expedient to stay in power".
In the Seanad last night signs of a widening rift between the Government parties continued as the Progressive Democrats again warned they would not accept the return of fees, or the creation of a loans system.
Free secondary education was the right option for Ireland in the 1960s, said PD Senator Mr John Dardis: "Free third level is the right option now".