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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Student tuition fees set to rise | Student tuition fees set to rise |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Tuition fees for students in Northern Ireland are set to rise to £3,145 a year, in line with inflation. | Tuition fees for students in Northern Ireland are set to rise to £3,145 a year, in line with inflation. |
| An attempt by members of the Assembly's Employment and Learning Committee to halt the £75 increase was rejected by 51 votes to 39. | An attempt by members of the Assembly's Employment and Learning Committee to halt the £75 increase was rejected by 51 votes to 39. |
| Employment Minister Sir Reg Empey said a freeze would harm local universities. | Employment Minister Sir Reg Empey said a freeze would harm local universities. |
| Committee chair Sue Ramsay argued fees should not rise until after the impact on falling numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds was reviewed. | Committee chair Sue Ramsay argued fees should not rise until after the impact on falling numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds was reviewed. |
| Sir Reg said local universities would have a £2.5m shortfall in the next academic year if tuition fees did not rise, but a review would begin next year. | |
| He said it was too early to gauge the impact of tuition fees, but figures suggested that more people from Northern Ireland were entering higher education. | |
| Ms Ramsey said the UUP and DUP were "selling our students short" by voting for an increase. | |
| "Voting through this increase is wrong, and the argument that it would interfere in a future review is bogus," she said. |