Ms Jacinta Stewart:

I will begin by responding to Deputy McConalogue's questions, if that is okay. The cost of SUSI in its first year was €7.1 million. The staffing costs when the system was run by 66 bodies - VECs and local authorities - were approximately €10 million. There may have been other costs, but they would not have been accounted for separately. A total of 543 students are currently pursuing appeals. A number of members asked about the 118 students who are going through the internal review process. I will come back to that matter. I will ask my colleague, Mr. Connolly, to respond to Deputy O'Brien's question about the position regarding students who applied to do courses in colleges outside the Republic of Ireland. It is a technical question that requires a technical answer.