§ Mr. Robert McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors led to the increase in students attending institutions of higher education in the Republic of Ireland who were awarded maintenance grant by boards in Northern Ireland cited in his answer of 3 November 1995,Official Report, column 500; what was the cost for the most recent year for which figures are available; and what is his estimate of the growth of these numbers in 1996. [3542]
§ Mr. AncramStudents from Northern Ireland can choose to study in the Republic of Ireland or any other country of the European Community. The increase in the number of students attending in the Republic of Ireland reflects this freedom of choice.
In the 1994–95 academic year some £2.2 million was expended by the education and library boards on means-tested maintenance and some £3.1 million on tuition fees in respect of those students.
The current estimate of the number of higher education students from Northern Ireland attending institutions in the Republic of Ireland in the 1995–96 academic year whose tuition fees will be paid by education and library boards is 2,000.