Dr. Stephen Farry:

I would not say it is driving it in the north west. That is an issue regarding relative provision on the two sides of the Border, including at the further education end. It is not that the north west is a shining example or a relative of the other colleges in Northern Ireland. It is a product of the relative lack of capacity in the County Donegal area that is driving that. In terms of financing, under European Union law, we have to treat a student from another part of the European Union in the same way we would treat a student from Northern Ireland, and that applies in reverse.

In my response to Deputy Feighan I omitted to mention the issue of the financing and incentives. In the past in Northern Ireland we paid the registration fee for our students from the South, which on the surface appeared to be a good deal. However, maintenance support was not available, and therefore, while they got in the door, they were on their own in terms of surviving in other areas. That may have created a disincentive. They can now take out a tuition fee loan to pay that fee but, in turn, we have put in place a more generous support package in terms of maintenance. It is hoped that will start filtering through. It will begin from September of this year. The wheel may well be turning.