Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In late 2012 and early 2013, the Department and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland undertook a joint survey of current and future schooling capacity and need in Border regions, the level of demand from parents and young people for primary and secondary schools across the Border, and how obstacles may be removed. The findings of the survey and any policy implications arising will be considered when the education Ministers meet at the North-South Ministerial Council on 1 November next.

Undergraduate programmes in the universities and institutes of technology are open to students from Northern Ireland, who can apply for a place through the Central Applications Office, CAO, system. These students are entitled to access the free fees scheme on the same basis as Irish nationals. Lest I confuse anyone, the free fees scheme is the State scheme. It is the student charge that now stands at €2,500 at present. The three Border region institutes of technology, located in Letterkenny, Sligo and Dundalk, are co-operating to create greater awareness in the North of the programmes on offer. The Department is also encouraging them to collaborate with nearby Northern Ireland colleges and universities to explore how provision might be combined or rationalised to the benefit of the student population in their catchment areas.

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