§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will set out in the Official Report the estimated loss of income at Queen's University, New University and Ulster Polytechnic resulting from the reduction in the number of overseas students and the erosion of the value of grant as a consequence of inflation.
§ Mr. John PattenThe fees charged to students from outside the European Community admitted to courses of higher education in Northern Ireland in 1981–82 and subsequent years will be higher than those charged to home students. It is not yet known how many new overseas students will be admitted in 1981–82 or whether this will result in a loss of income to the institutions.
The extent to which grants to the universities and the polytechnics are affected by inflation will depend on whether the actual rate of inflation exceeds the rate forecast when the cash limit was set.