Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 4 Dec 1997

Vol. 484 No. 2

Written Answers. - Dearing Report.

Pat Rabbitte

Ceist:

49 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the implications of the proposal of the British Government for the funding of higher education arising from the Dearing report; his views on the implications for students from the Republic of Ireland currently attending third level institutions in the United Kingdom and the possibility that the new policy may result in an influx of students from Northern Ireland, putting extra pressure on our third level system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21620/97]

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

70 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of students in the most recent year for which figures are available from Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom undertaking study in colleges funded by his Department; the number of students from the South studying in Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom; and the way in which changes in the United Kingdom higher education policy will affect them. [21731/97]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 70 together.

The report of Sir Don Dearing on the future of higher education in the UK was published in July 1997. Arising from this report, Mr. David Blunkett, the UK Secretary of State for Education and Employment, announced that he planned to introduce an annual tuition fee of up to £1,000 depending on parental income, that tuition would continue to be free for students from lower income families and that maintenance grants would be replaced by student loans. He further advised that a White Paper, which has yet to be published, will detail the new arrangements.

At this stage, it is not possible, in advance of the publication of the White Paper, to fully assess the implications of the Dearing recommendations on the number of places in the higher education system or on students from the Republic who are attending college in Britain. My officials have had preliminary discussions with their counterparts in the Department of Education in Northern Ireland and I have arranged to meet with the Secretary of State later this month to discuss this and other matters.

In the 1995-96 academic year, the last year for which statistics are available, there were 1,400 students from Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom in Exchequer funded third level institutions in the Republic of Ireland. The combined figures for students from the Republic who are studying in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland for 1994-95 indicate that there were almost 10,000 students pursuing higher education courses. I understand that the number of third level students from the Republic studying in Northern Ireland was some 4,000 in 1995-96 which would suggest that there were some 6,000 students studying in the United Kingdom.