Farry says Donegal students are a drain on budgets

He says he wants Dublin to help pay for the education of about 3,500 people from the Republic of Ireland in Further Education colleges in Northern Ireland.

He said: “I want a cheque from my colleagues in the Republic of Ireland. We are currently educating about 3,500 people from the Republic of Ireland in FE colleges in Northern Ireland, because there is not an adequate provision there.

“That is particularly the case in County Donegal, for which North West Regional College is becoming the main provider of education and training at level 2. It amounts to something like £7million that is going out of the Northern Ireland block grant to train students from the Republic of Ireland.

“I am more than happy that we see students moving in both directions across the border, with certain courses provided on one side of the border and other courses provided on the other side of the border.

“That is the natural way that this situation should be. However, in further education, it is currently one-way traffic from the South into the North, particularly in the Donegal-to-Derry corridor.

“That has a massively disproportionate impact upon our budgets. It is a structural problem that we have to resolve on a North/South basis. We are up for doing it, but my colleagues in the Republic of Ireland are not prepared to face up to this reality at present.”