By Gabija Gataveckaite
The Sunday Independent can also reveal Fianna F谩il and Fine Gael are on a collision course over welfare in the budget talks, after the first major row last week, on college fees.
Further and Higher Education Minister James Lawless will now push for budget measures to reduce the 鈧3,000 annual fees for college students by several hundred euro permanently.
Students will also be in line for more targeted measures, with disadvantaged students set to get greater support with paying their college fees.
Permanent cuts to college fees will be seen as a win for Fine Gael, after the party clashed with its coalition partner last week after Fianna F谩il minister Mr Lawless initially poured cold water on the prospect of reducing fees.
In previous budgets, college fees fell by 鈧1,000 due to a temporary subsidy introduced in cost-of-living packages.
However, the Government had signalled there would be no cost-of-living supports in Budget 2026, and that they would also end the 鈧250 energy credit to help reduce household bills.
The state of the parties: Sunday Independent / Ireland Thinks poll
This weekend, Mr Lawless insisted he would seek 鈥渄iscounts to the student contribution fee鈥.
鈥淚 am going into the budget negotiations this autumn seeking the very best possible outcome for students and their families, of course by seeking discounts to the student contribution fee, and in line with our Programme for Government commitments, but also by examining complementary, targeted measures which can be very impactful for cohorts like larger families or the 鈥榮queezed middle鈥,鈥 he said.
The Kildare North TD also hit out at T谩naiste Simon Harris, by saying families have faced 鈥渦ncertainty鈥 in recent years as 鈥渟upport schemes were, by design, temporary and not guaranteed year-on-year鈥.
I feel it鈥檚 important that I鈥檓 straight with people
Mr Harris had cut fees on a temporary basis when he was further and higher education minister, but these were not put on a permanent footing.
鈥淚 feel it鈥檚 important that I鈥檓 straight with people, and that whatever I do in this budget is there to stay 鈥 repeatable, costed and sustainable,鈥 Mr Lawless said.
He also told Sinn F茅in TD Donna McGettigan, the party鈥檚 spokesperson on further and higher education, that the Government is 鈥渃ommitted to reducing the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government, in a financially sustainable manner鈥.
Mr Lawless called on Sinn F茅in to provide a 鈥渃osted, evidence-based appraisal鈥, prompting Sinn F茅in to accuse the minister of being 鈥渢one deaf鈥.
The latest Sunday Independent/ Ireland Thinks poll shows most people believe cuts to student fees should apply to all students and not just those on lower incomes.
Most people also believe the Government should cut fees further after previously cutting them by 鈧1,000.
But Fianna F谩il and Fine Gael are set to clash on weekly welfare hikes for the unemployed, with Fine Gael believing people who 鈥渞efuse鈥 to work should not be 鈥渞ewarded鈥. The party instead wants lower increases 鈥 or none at all 鈥 for Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance, with higher rates for pensioners and the disabled.
I鈥檝e never been into the characterisation of people on welfare
However, Taoiseach Miche谩l Martin said he does not like 鈥渄rawing distinctions鈥.
鈥淚鈥檝e never been into the characterisation of people on welfare. I鈥檝e never been into those politics,鈥 he said.
The Taoiseach instead spoke about 鈥渢urning the dial鈥 on child poverty.
鈥淲e do have to make priorities. In terms of how we allocate, my view is that we have, over the last two years, committed to doing something significant on child poverty, to turn the dial around on child poverty 鈥 and that鈥檚 where I would like to see a targeted set of measures emanating from the Department of Social Protection,鈥 he added.
His comments stand in stark contrast to those of Mr Harris, who said he believes there is 鈥渕erit鈥 to get rid of 鈥渦niformity鈥 in rising all welfare payments 鈥 such as Jobseeker鈥檚 and the pension 鈥 by the same weekly amount.
鈥淩oughly speaking, the equivalent of 鈧1.20/鈧1.25 on every social welfare payment is roughly the equivalent of reducing college fees by 鈧1,000. So budgets are all about choices,鈥 he said last week.
鈥淚鈥檓 not convinced that you need to see as significant a rise in the dole as in the pension, at a time when our country is in full employment and when there鈥檚 lots of supports out there for people getting into work. There鈥檚 other supports out there for people who can鈥檛 work for very many good reasons.鈥
Chair of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, Fine Gael TD John Paul O鈥橲hea, previously called for 鈥渧ulnerable groups鈥 to be prioritised over the unemployed. Proposals to have smaller increases to Jobseeker鈥檚 than to pensions were rejected by previous governments.