Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lembit Opik (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Tuesday, 7 February 2006 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Grand Committee.

University Places

Question: What assessment has the Minister made of the Government's policies on student funding and the demand for full-time undergraduate places in Northern Ireland? She will recall that a Northern Ireland Grand Committee voted to reject the Government's proposals. The Government rode roughshod over that rejection and forced the measure through anyway. Presumably they have conducted some research to identify the consequences of that decision.

Answer: The numbers of graduates and of those entering higher education continue to increase. Some of the misinformation about the impact that student fees would have concerns me. This week, I launched a pamphlet with the National Union of Students to give students who want to go on to university and higher education full information about the implications for them. I think that that will reassure many students who are not aware of the full consequences. The number of people entering higher education is still increasing.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: NIGC c9
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons Grand Committees
Subjects: Finance Northern Ireland Universities Student numbers Ulster University Queen's University Belfast