Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Okay. In terms of students in Northern Ireland, many of them have to make the choice to go away, similar to the situation for students in the south east, because there is a cap on courses and there is not the same level of choice. Substantially more of them, however, go to the UK. Geographically, the Republic of Ireland is close and it would be possible for students to get a train as opposed to a boat or plane. The entry requirements, though, are simple if people are in the UK's UCAS system. They will not have to think about anything else. Do the witnesses have any data on what the other pull factors are in this context? Are we talking about the likes of opening bank accounts and securing accommodation, for example? Is there a good example of what the mix is in terms of the choices students are making? Students leaving Northern Ireland could go to either the UK or the Republic. What are the push and pull factors involved?