§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his oral answer to the right hon. Member for Strangford (Mr. Taylor) of 28 April,Official Report, column 372, by what means citizens of the United Kingdom benefit from educational and other activities in the Irish Republic; what are those other 564W activities; what sums were expended by his Department on United Kingdom citizens being educated in the Republic for the current and each of the last two years; what is his estimate of the sums of public money expended by the Republic on those students; and what were the sums expended on the other activities. referred to by (a) his Department and (b) the Irish Republic authorities.
§ Sir John WheelerUnited Kingdom citizens are free to choose to study in the Republic of Ireland or any other country of the European Community. In the current year 1,124 students from Northern Ireland are benefiting from higher education provision in the Republic of Ireland; the latest statistics available indicate that some 378 students from other parts of the United Kingdom attended full-time higher education courses there in 1991–92.
A number of children with hearing impairments, from Northern Ireland, are receiving special education at a special school in the Republic of Ireland.
Other educational activities include a range of collaborative ventures between the universities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which bring mutual benefits.
Some patients are referred to hospitals in the Republic of Ireland specifically for treatments which are not available in Northern Ireland.
The sums to be expended by the Northern Ireland Departments on Northern Ireland students and pupils educated in the Republic of Ireland are not yet available for the current financial year. However, the following figures are available for the last two years:
Year £ 1992–93 2,232,524 1993–94 3,486,347 Figures for the sums expended on students from other parts of the United Kingdom are not the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Departments.
Sums expended on the other educational activities are usually borne by the education institutions themselves but sometimes with the assistance of European funding. The Department of Health in Great Britain has responsibility for the financial aspects of referral of patients to hospitals in the Republic of Ireland.
The sums expended by the Government of the Republic of Ireland on educational and other activities is a matter for the Irish authorities.