0:00:22 > 0:00:26Hello and welcome to a new term of Stormont Today with me, Tara Mills.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30The stormy weather outside made it hard to believe this was the first
0:00:30 > 0:00:34sitting of the chamber after the summer holidays, and it was an
0:00:34 > 0:00:39issue much-debated away from storm was during the recess that took up
0:00:39 > 0:00:43the main time of the day, university tuition fees. I can now
0:00:43 > 0:00:51confirm that tuition fees for local students in Northern Ireland will
0:00:51 > 0:00:58be capped at local levels, subject only to inflation increases. But
0:00:58 > 0:01:06how will the funding gap be filled? And the ayes have it, just who are
0:01:06 > 0:01:15the new faces on the walls at Stormont? We have the President of
0:01:15 > 0:01:20We learned today where the Minister for higher education will find the
0:01:20 > 0:01:24money to freeze tuition fees here. Or did we? There will be no cuts to
0:01:24 > 0:01:28frontline services, no impact on further education and a review of
0:01:28 > 0:01:34the education maintenance allowance. So how will the �40 million gap we
0:01:34 > 0:01:37have heard so much about be filled? This is what he told members.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40decisions reached by the Executive last week mean that I can now
0:01:40 > 0:01:44confirm that higher education tuition fees for local students in
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Northern Ireland will be capped at current levels, subject only to
0:01:48 > 0:01:54inflationary increases. A funding package has been put in place to
0:01:54 > 0:02:00address the resulting budgetary pressures while ensuring the stable
0:02:00 > 0:02:03funding of the higher education sector. My concerns are to ensure
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Northern Ireland continues to have a world-class higher education
0:02:07 > 0:02:12system, and that access to university is not determined by the
0:02:12 > 0:02:15ability to pay. As we look to grow our economy, and take full
0:02:15 > 0:02:21advantage of the economic opportunities coming our way in the
0:02:21 > 0:02:26near future, it is critical that we support and recognise the role of
0:02:26 > 0:02:29higher education in producing school graduates. Today's
0:02:29 > 0:02:33announcements on tuition fees and funding for higher education
0:02:33 > 0:02:37demonstrates that we are delivering on these policies and commitments.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41These decisions are a clear indication that the Executive is
0:02:41 > 0:02:46working in Northern Ireland for our future students and graduates, for
0:02:46 > 0:02:50their families and indeed the wider economy. Cash-strapped students
0:02:50 > 0:02:54have welcome today's's announcement. With me to look at the small print
0:02:54 > 0:03:01of what the announcement really means is Adrian pelts. Thank you
0:03:01 > 0:03:06for joining us. You are pretty pleased? We are delighted, and
0:03:06 > 0:03:12certainly myself and the other students across Northern Ireland
0:03:12 > 0:03:16will be delighted after a summer of uncertainty when there were so many
0:03:16 > 0:03:20questions around tuition fees, so many people asking what the
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Minister would do. So today really has quelled all those questions,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30and we are delighted. There are still going to be tough decisions
0:03:30 > 0:03:34ahead for students, and tough competition. So Italy. What we need
0:03:34 > 0:03:39to look at is the wider picture in Northern Ireland, and think what
0:03:39 > 0:03:44concerns me the most is the question over EMA. What the
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Minister has done is not looked at a wider picture, and he has not
0:03:48 > 0:03:52necessarily placed the writer meant a value on further education, and
0:03:52 > 0:03:55they think certainly for myself, I was a further education student,
0:03:55 > 0:04:02and I worry about the future for further education in Northern
0:04:02 > 0:04:07Ireland. But he has said there will be no cuts. Certainly there will be
0:04:07 > 0:04:12no cuts, but they're also won't be any extra investment, so we have to
0:04:12 > 0:04:18ask ourselves how the sector is supposed to grow. I would ask the
0:04:18 > 0:04:22question, with a group of students as big as 150,000, how exactly will
0:04:22 > 0:04:28refund their futures when there is no money going into their further
0:04:28 > 0:04:32education budget. The cap will not be increased by as much as the
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Minister had initially hoped and planned for. Do think that is going
0:04:36 > 0:04:41to create havoc for a lot of students? May be the less well able
0:04:41 > 0:04:45students who will have got in at the tail-end, through the clearing
0:04:45 > 0:04:50system? I think we are going to see a huge demand in the next 12 months
0:04:50 > 0:04:54for higher education places. I'm disappointed that the Minister
0:04:54 > 0:04:57didn't make any announcement about more places for students. In
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Northern Ireland we have the biggest demand for places at our
0:05:03 > 0:05:08universities, and students on the lower rungs could be forced out
0:05:08 > 0:05:11with no place to go. Further education has always been one of
0:05:11 > 0:05:16the areas that tends to mop up students that weren't necessarily
0:05:16 > 0:05:19able to get into university. So in terms of the widening access and
0:05:19 > 0:05:25widening participation strategy, I have great concerns about the
0:05:25 > 0:05:30future. Stay with us, and we will talk more later in the programme.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Now back to the chamber, and the Regional Development Minister Danny
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Kennedy had the honour of answering the first Ministerial Questions of
0:05:37 > 0:05:41the new term. He said he recognised the benefits of improving Cycling
0:05:41 > 0:05:46facilities, and pointed out the road surface has a target to
0:05:46 > 0:05:54quadruple the number of bike trips by the end of 2015. But he couldn't
0:05:54 > 0:05:58resist poking a bit of fun when the SDLP's Martin McGuinness also a
0:05:58 > 0:06:03question on the provision of cycling lanes. Perhaps he could
0:06:03 > 0:06:07indicate on his own line of thought, and perhaps he could use a cycling
0:06:07 > 0:06:17analogy to say whether or not he wants to ride to the rescue of the
0:06:17 > 0:06:22
0:06:22 > 0:06:26SDLP, Warwick least get his spoke I will ensure that the member
0:06:26 > 0:06:32receives that information as quickly as possible. From bikes to
0:06:32 > 0:06:36planes, and the Minister told Mitchell McLaughlin that he doesn't
0:06:36 > 0:06:41share the enthusiasm for Northern Ireland's strategy. There is
0:06:41 > 0:06:46widespread concern on the issue of air passenger duty. If it is a
0:06:46 > 0:06:56revenue and taxation matter, which I know is being pursued by
0:06:56 > 0:06:56
0:06:56 > 0:07:03Executive colleagues, I am aware of those issues, and would seek to see
0:07:03 > 0:07:10that resolved as quickly as possible. I don't share his
0:07:10 > 0:07:17enthusiasm for an All Ireland approach at this point. We would be
0:07:17 > 0:07:23sensible to wait. We would seek to influence the report by the
0:07:23 > 0:07:30Department of Transport in London. Mr Speaker, I thank the Minister
0:07:30 > 0:07:37for his response in terms of any All-Ireland aviation strategy. Were
0:07:37 > 0:07:40he ensure that they will offer to a central government in any
0:07:40 > 0:07:45discussion about aviation strategy a much more practical approach,
0:07:45 > 0:07:53which is the close proximity that we have in all of Northern Ireland
0:07:53 > 0:07:58to the Air Show and Strathclyde region? I accept the point that the
0:07:58 > 0:08:07member makes, and what we want to do is concentrate on how that
0:08:07 > 0:08:12strategy, win in place, will impact on Northern Ireland. And indeed the
0:08:12 > 0:08:19travelling public of Northern Ireland. I think that will be the
0:08:19 > 0:08:24first used for part of what we discuss. Then it was back to terra
0:08:24 > 0:08:30firma with a bump, particularly if you are on a country road.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Given the state of many of our rural roads, it is imperative that
0:08:35 > 0:08:40a budget is made to keep the roads up to standard. I have great
0:08:40 > 0:08:46sympathy for the argument that the member makes, and as someone who
0:08:46 > 0:08:53shares the same constituency and can see it first hand, the impact
0:08:53 > 0:08:58of the lack of structure and maintenance. The Budget that I have
0:08:58 > 0:09:05inherited and am now expected to manage has over the next four years
0:09:05 > 0:09:09a shortfall of some �210 million in terms of structural maintenance.
0:09:09 > 0:09:16Obviously that is a huge sum of money, and it is particularly
0:09:16 > 0:09:21difficult over the next couple of years. I will of course make
0:09:21 > 0:09:27representations and keep the issue in the attention of Executive
0:09:27 > 0:09:34colleagues. But the Executive continues to take decisions, and
0:09:34 > 0:09:39the most recent decision about student fees, aside from the merits
0:09:39 > 0:09:43of that decision, means that my budget has been further cut, that
0:09:43 > 0:09:49undoubtedly will reflect in some shape or form on roads maintenance.
0:09:49 > 0:09:55So there are competing priorities, we are all aware of them, and
0:09:55 > 0:09:59certainly and patently aware of the need to maintain a road
0:09:59 > 0:10:01infrastructure that makes it safe for people to travel on the roads
0:10:01 > 0:10:05of northern Ireland. Her later during the session, the Minister
0:10:05 > 0:10:09said he was reluctant to place a specific dates on the timing for a
0:10:09 > 0:10:14rapid transit system for west and east Belfast, although he did so
0:10:14 > 0:10:21the target date is 2017. Then Steven Farrer was back to answer
0:10:21 > 0:10:31questions on the proposed merger of Stranraer a teacher training
0:10:31 > 0:10:31
0:10:31 > 0:10:39college at Queen's University. student population has come from
0:10:39 > 0:10:46the local background. There a significant representations around
0:10:46 > 0:10:51that, and certainly the ethos, we will have a discussion as to
0:10:51 > 0:10:55exactly what that entails, will be carried through in terms of the
0:10:55 > 0:11:02merger, if indeed that is what we do take forward. Proper
0:11:02 > 0:11:09consideration will be given to all of the different face interests.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15Can I ask the Minister if the post merger will lead -- the proposed
0:11:15 > 0:11:22merger will lead to savings? think the key point to stress is
0:11:22 > 0:11:27the urgent need for investment in the college, and also to make the
0:11:27 > 0:11:32college financially sustainable. I want to stress the only viable
0:11:32 > 0:11:37means by which this can be done would seem to be the proposal in
0:11:37 > 0:11:43terms of the merger with Queen's University. We are talking about
0:11:43 > 0:11:47some 16 million in terms of capital, and I saw for myself last week the
0:11:47 > 0:11:52dilapidated state of some buildings, and some have been condemned and
0:11:52 > 0:11:57were beyond use. So in the event this doesn't go ahead, that short
0:11:57 > 0:12:02for in terms of that investment will have to be found, and there is
0:12:02 > 0:12:08no money available. We have discussed finance today. So that
0:12:08 > 0:12:12would remain an unresolved issue if we did get this merger. Thank you,
0:12:12 > 0:12:18Mr Speaker. I joined with the Minister in acknowledging the need
0:12:18 > 0:12:21for investment on the college site, and I welcome his commitment to
0:12:21 > 0:12:28identifying and acknowledging that need. I specifically asked to the
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Minister, Mr Speaker, if he would give the House at commitment that
0:12:32 > 0:12:42teacher training will continue at both sites, and that will remain
0:12:42 > 0:12:48the policy of the department. Queen's University and St Mary's
0:12:48 > 0:12:52are independent institutions, and these decisions are for them to
0:12:52 > 0:12:59take. Funding will be made as appropriate to all of those, and
0:12:59 > 0:13:02obviously we have the potential for a merger, and creating a school of
0:13:02 > 0:13:07education at Queen's. That is something we are focused on at the
0:13:07 > 0:13:11moment. More now on those tuition fees, and the Minister employment
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and learning is here along with committee chaired Basil McCrea.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Minister, some people
0:13:18 > 0:13:28have described the figures as jiggery-pokery. They can't make
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The figures are sound. I had certainty around the budget backing
0:13:32 > 0:13:36up the policy. To do anything different would be utterly
0:13:36 > 0:13:38irresponsible. The department stands over its figures and the
0:13:38 > 0:13:43Finance Minister wouldn't have recommended to the executive we
0:13:43 > 0:13:46move ahead unless the figures were sound. I can give that guarantee
0:13:46 > 0:13:50the flings -- figures are sound. There's no risk in terms of the
0:13:50 > 0:13:54figures. In terms of my department, theres no cuts in terms of fronts
0:13:54 > 0:14:00line services, further education, apresentsship, the employment
0:14:00 > 0:14:04service. You say that you can save 17 million in internal department
0:14:04 > 0:14:09savings. There's two elements to that. There's five million added on
0:14:09 > 0:14:12to an existing target of �145 million, that I have to find as
0:14:12 > 0:14:16part of the current budget. That will be things through better
0:14:16 > 0:14:21management of the estate, as regarding travel and subsistence
0:14:21 > 0:14:27for staff and how we control staff vacancies. The remaining �12
0:14:27 > 0:14:33million, the notional loan subsidy, whenever we took a decision not to
0:14:33 > 0:14:37have fees at �4,500, instead go for �3,500, there's a savings in terms
0:14:37 > 0:14:41of loan subsidy, which enables us to balance the books. Would you
0:14:41 > 0:14:45have preferred the fees to �4500. There's a consensus in Northern
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Ireland that we don't want to raise the fees. Would it have made it
0:14:49 > 0:14:53ease tkwror balance the books? Certainly there was an argument for
0:14:53 > 0:14:56raising fees. It brings additional revenue in the system. When we have
0:14:56 > 0:15:00a situation where we're talking about keeping fees at the current
0:15:00 > 0:15:02level, that means that funding gap has to be resolved in terms of the
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Northern Ireland block grant. Obviously, there are consequences
0:15:05 > 0:15:09from that decision in terms of how it's funded, either my own
0:15:09 > 0:15:12department or within the executive as a whole. Basil McCrea, you're
0:15:12 > 0:15:17chair of the watchdog committee looking into those figures. You
0:15:17 > 0:15:21don't think they add up? I'm not sure yet to be honest. The minister
0:15:21 > 0:15:24did say he felt his figures were sound, but they're not particularly
0:15:24 > 0:15:28clear. One of the things I'm sure that the committee will want to do
0:15:28 > 0:15:33is have a good look at the figures to see exactly what they mean. The
0:15:33 > 0:15:36minister also mentioned about risk. He feels there isn't that much of a
0:15:36 > 0:15:40risk. Throughout his entire statement there were caveats and
0:15:40 > 0:15:44warnings that if things did not work out the way we expected, that
0:15:44 > 0:15:47we'd have to look at things again. It's something we need to keep an
0:15:47 > 0:15:50eye on. Is that not reality though? Is that not what every budget in
0:15:50 > 0:15:56every department is going to face? We don't know how the recession's
0:15:56 > 0:16:00going to pan out. We don't know how much money the economy is going to
0:16:00 > 0:16:02make. That's a fair point to make. I personally was surprised by the
0:16:02 > 0:16:05amount of cuts that were going to have to be found from the
0:16:05 > 0:16:09department. You know, we've been talking before the summer about
0:16:09 > 0:16:13some of the pressures and it will be interesting just to see how
0:16:13 > 0:16:15those work out in reality. The trouble with student flows, the
0:16:15 > 0:16:18differential between England and Wales and with Northern Ireland,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21the potential for some of our students from Northern Ireland not
0:16:21 > 0:16:26being able to get places in Northern Ireland, I think we've yet
0:16:26 > 0:16:29to work out exactly how that will play and it could end up to be
0:16:29 > 0:16:33difficult decisions for people. There's a range of things that at
0:16:34 > 0:16:38the moment we're in wait and see mode. If the economy does go worse,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42if the student fees change as drastically, if EMA review doesn't
0:16:42 > 0:16:45work the way it's hoped to be worked, all of those things will
0:16:45 > 0:16:50cause problems for the minister. I'm sure it's something that we'll
0:16:50 > 0:16:53be talking about. The risks are very much less to do with the
0:16:53 > 0:16:57finance. The risks lie in terms how you manage student flows. Whenever
0:16:57 > 0:17:01we have a situation under devolution, different regions of
0:17:01 > 0:17:04the UK, take different decisions in terms of student fees, there is a
0:17:05 > 0:17:09conconstituency in terms of student flow that's we will have to manage.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Until we see what happens, it is difficult to speculate around that.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Are next year's students Guinea pigs then? Certainly not. I mean,
0:17:17 > 0:17:23we're going through a transition in terms of this. One thing that we're
0:17:23 > 0:17:27clear on that we have to do is to charge, the two local universities,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32to charge higher fees to students from Great Britain. For some people
0:17:32 > 0:17:37this might seem incongruous that we charge different fees. The stark
0:17:37 > 0:17:40reality is once we took that level -- decision, there's a major risk
0:17:41 > 0:17:44of a flood of applications coming in. If we don't take action, that
0:17:44 > 0:17:47will crowd the market out for local students and people will be
0:17:47 > 0:17:51complaining about that. We have to act now in order to protect
0:17:51 > 0:17:54ourselves in that regard. University of Ulster said they're
0:17:54 > 0:17:57going to charge �8,000. proposal is we would pass that
0:17:57 > 0:18:02through the Assembly, given the two local universities the discretion
0:18:02 > 0:18:08to charge a level of fee and in practice, that would be up to
0:18:08 > 0:18:12�9,000. You are talking about that region that Richard barns has
0:18:12 > 0:18:16declared. There's a court case pending in Scotland. What if we
0:18:16 > 0:18:21have a similar case here? Where does the money come from if they're
0:18:21 > 0:18:25successful? The case is largely speculative. I've taken my own
0:18:25 > 0:18:29legal advice locally in terms of what we're doing. Legal advice is
0:18:29 > 0:18:34only legal advice until it's tested in court. We are confident that
0:18:34 > 0:18:38what we're proposing will stand up. If it doesn't, we have to reassess.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Situation. At this stage, it seems promising that we can follow
0:18:42 > 0:18:49through on that policy. What about the educational maintsnepbs
0:18:49 > 0:18:53allowance? That's something that's already means tested. Would you be
0:18:53 > 0:18:57concerned that the review will mean some students will miss out? That's
0:18:58 > 0:19:02the very clear direction of travel. There is a considerable amount of
0:19:02 > 0:19:06dead weight, that's to say, money being spent that doesn't provide
0:19:06 > 0:19:10value in the system. The question is: Are you robbing Peter to pay
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Paul? Can you find a way of encouraging people early on in
0:19:13 > 0:19:18their careers to stay on in education and still provide them
0:19:18 > 0:19:22with the right courses later on in life? I will just say, if you don't
0:19:22 > 0:19:25mind, picking up on the issue about student fees for different parts of
0:19:25 > 0:19:29the United Kingdom, personally, regardless of what the legal
0:19:29 > 0:19:33position is, because I've had a look at it, I do think it's unfair
0:19:33 > 0:19:36that you're expecting the taxpayers from England and Wales to give us a
0:19:36 > 0:19:40very substantial sum of money, which lets us run this particular
0:19:40 > 0:19:44part of the world and when they want to send their students to our
0:19:44 > 0:19:48part of the world, we're going to charge them almost three times as
0:19:48 > 0:19:51much. I wonder at some stage, in the bigger picture, in the longer
0:19:51 > 0:19:54term issue of trying to convince the United Kingdom that we have a
0:19:54 > 0:19:58constructive part to play, whether this is good politics. Briefly,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02minister? This is devolution working its way through the system.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07If we don't go down the line of higher fees for GB students, we run
0:20:07 > 0:20:10the risk of a major flood of applications. There is going to be
0:20:10 > 0:20:14increased places locally from Northern Ireland based students
0:20:14 > 0:20:19already. We're expecting difficulty in meeting that demand. If we have
0:20:19 > 0:20:22this influx it's going to be disaster. I will be disappointed if
0:20:22 > 0:20:25the committee doesn't follow through on the decision of the
0:20:25 > 0:20:28executive. This is essential. It's part of this package. People want
0:20:28 > 0:20:32to have lower fees in Northern Ireland. We have to manage the
0:20:32 > 0:20:36consequences around that. I only chair the committee, I don't decide
0:20:36 > 0:20:40for it. We can't have it both ways. There will be plentsy more time for
0:20:40 > 0:20:46debate. Thank you for joining us. In less than an hour's time, we
0:20:46 > 0:20:49find out how our political map is to be redrawn. I caught up with our
0:20:49 > 0:20:54political editor Mark Devenport. He gave me his assessment of what the
0:20:54 > 0:20:57boundary changes have in store. And he explained why love is in the air
0:20:57 > 0:21:02in the corridors of Parliament buildings.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05The precise detail is under embargo until after midnight. We got a good
0:21:05 > 0:21:09idea of the trust of the report. The Boundary Commissioners have
0:21:09 > 0:21:13been told to bring the number of local constituencies down from the
0:21:13 > 0:21:18current 18 down to 16. This is part of a move across the UK to make it
0:21:18 > 0:21:23a smaller Westminster, if you like. There's only so many ways to do
0:21:23 > 0:21:27that. We think it's highly likely that south Belfast will disappear
0:21:27 > 0:21:32off the political map. Belfast will have just three constituencies. And
0:21:32 > 0:21:35that we'll probably lose one of our constituencys in the west of the
0:21:35 > 0:21:39province and they'll have to reconfigure things there. This is
0:21:39 > 0:21:42not just a Westminster matter, because the same boundaries are
0:21:42 > 0:21:47used here at Stormont for elections as they are at Westminster. So
0:21:47 > 0:21:50there's going to be an inevitable knock-on effect, if we lose two
0:21:51 > 0:22:00constituencies, with six Assembly Members each, this Assembly will be
0:22:01 > 0:22:02
0:22:02 > 0:22:07reduced from 108MLAs to 96. We had the Sinn Fein on Saturday and
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Friday night, any Unionist MLAs today offering to hug a Sinn Fein
0:22:11 > 0:22:16politician? It has been said that at least one of them joked with a
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Sinn Fein counterpart "Are you going give me a hug?" And this
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Republican suddenly realised what the joke was all about. Others are
0:22:25 > 0:22:28still getting hot under the collar about David Lati mer's appearance.
0:22:28 > 0:22:36Gregory Campbell had been on the airways saying he wasn't sure it
0:22:36 > 0:22:45was a wise move for the minister to accept Martin McGuinness'
0:22:45 > 0:22:49invitation. Now it seems that the DUP MP's analysis was correct.
0:22:49 > 0:22:58David Latimer I think will have appealed to moderates who felt he
0:22:58 > 0:23:01was right in pursuing it. He hasn't converted many of the hard liners.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04The SDLP, the days are ticking down for people to throw their hat in
0:23:04 > 0:23:09the ring for the leadership campaign? Yeah, deadline is the end
0:23:09 > 0:23:16of the week. So, Alastair McDonald once he's got over the boundary
0:23:16 > 0:23:22review, will have to make his mind up about whether he's going to join
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Patsy Mcloen there. And also whether any of the young bucks
0:23:27 > 0:23:31might put their name forward and also Alex Atwo did. There's a
0:23:31 > 0:23:34question over him as a minister now, if a new minister gets a job. Has
0:23:35 > 0:23:39he got anything to lose by putting himself forward into the leadership
0:23:39 > 0:23:42race? Now the Great Hall at Stormont provides an impressive
0:23:42 > 0:23:47welcome to the tens of thousands of people who come through the
0:23:47 > 0:23:51revolving door every year. Now it's to become home to three major art
0:23:51 > 0:23:54exhibitions every year. Earlier, I met up with the Speaker, Willie Hay,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58who brought me on a tour of the exhibition.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03It's something of a face lift for the Great Hall, tell us why you've
0:24:03 > 0:24:07decided to exhibit these paintings? I've been very keen from 2007, when
0:24:07 > 0:24:11I entered the job of Speaker, to open the building up tot public.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Today, we have over 70,000 visitors coming through Parliament buildings.
0:24:16 > 0:24:22Certainly the first part of the building here is the front foyer.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Where better to display art than here in the front foyer? Adding
0:24:24 > 0:24:30hopefully tot visitor number that's are already coming through the
0:24:30 > 0:24:33buildings. Certainly from a public point of view, I think it will
0:24:33 > 0:24:40increase visitors. When we look at arts exhibitions here within the
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Great Hall. Local heart, is it mostly local? It is. This is an
0:24:44 > 0:24:50exhibition in partnership with public works. We will look at doing
0:24:50 > 0:24:54other art exhibitions, maybe look at it through the year and -- three
0:24:54 > 0:25:00a year, a fairly big arts exhibition. We are careful what
0:25:00 > 0:25:04type of art we hang in the building here, but we believe it all adds to
0:25:04 > 0:25:08the engagement that we're doing with the wider public across
0:25:08 > 0:25:13Northern Ireland. Institutions and Government in the past were very
0:25:13 > 0:25:18much closed off and obviously, the building is described as the house
0:25:18 > 0:25:21on the hill. Do you think this is, in some way, another step towards
0:25:21 > 0:25:26bringing people in and getting even more people to come up and have a
0:25:26 > 0:25:31look around? Very, very much so. Anything that we can do in this
0:25:31 > 0:25:36building to add tot public coming here at the moment. To have 70,000
0:25:36 > 0:25:38in one year, to have thousands of school children through this
0:25:38 > 0:25:42particular building, it can only add to what we're trying to achieve
0:25:42 > 0:25:47here. The doors are open tot public. It's free to come in, look around
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and see what's on offer here in the Great Hall. Here we have a very
0:25:51 > 0:25:55unique collection of paintings. That is very much on display. It
0:25:55 > 0:25:59will be on display for some months. I'm encouraging the public please
0:25:59 > 0:26:03come up and see the exhibition for themselves. Any of the pieces take
0:26:03 > 0:26:07your fancy? They do. I must say I walked round them earlier, some of
0:26:07 > 0:26:13them are very, very good. Once again, we're very protective of
0:26:13 > 0:26:17this area building, just to make sure that we formulate the right
0:26:17 > 0:26:21art exhibitions here within the Great Hall. And it's the start of a
0:26:21 > 0:26:25new term for lots of different people, but obviously, for the MLAs
0:26:26 > 0:26:30up here. Are you going to keep them in check for another term? I think
0:26:30 > 0:26:35we will. I may say as well, all our MLAs have been very supportive of
0:26:35 > 0:26:39opening the building up tot public and throwing open the front doors
0:26:39 > 0:26:44to see exactly the work of the MLAs here and ministers in the Assembly.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49That is all good to engage with the wider public in Northern
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Irelandment Some -- Northern Ireland. Now a final word, Adrianne
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Peltz is still with us. You heard the debate there between the
0:26:57 > 0:27:01minister and the chair of the committee, are you reassured by
0:27:01 > 0:27:05anything the minister said? certainly reassured with the fact
0:27:05 > 0:27:08that they are prioritising young people and investing in higher
0:27:08 > 0:27:12education and students. I'm a bit concerned about the question around
0:27:13 > 0:27:16EMA. Just to come in on a positive note, something we haven't really
0:27:16 > 0:27:19discussed is the issue around student support funds. One of the
0:27:20 > 0:27:23key things that's come out of today is the fact that students from
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Northern Ireland, who'll be travelling across to GB will be
0:27:27 > 0:27:31funded by the department. I think that's incredibly important for
0:27:31 > 0:27:35ensuring our students still get the opportunity to go across the water
0:27:35 > 0:27:40and broaden their horriezons. We need to remember our students here
0:27:40 > 0:27:44also get an extra �225 over and above what their counterparts in
0:27:44 > 0:27:47England, Scotland and Wales receive. It didn't sound as if that
0:27:47 > 0:27:51guarantee is in place for that long. We clarified it with the minister
0:27:51 > 0:27:55earlier. It's three years at the very least. But it might not
0:27:55 > 0:28:02continue. So many things depend on how the economy and the budget, how
0:28:02 > 0:28:06they all pan out. Rge serge. I think that's incredibly --
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Certainly. I think that's incredibly worrying for parents and
0:28:10 > 0:28:14students. The sooner we get more questions answered by the minister
0:28:14 > 0:28:16the better. Certainly around issues around the maximum students numbers,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21certainly around widening participation, there are still so
0:28:21 > 0:28:25many areas that we're uncertain about and I think, the sooner we
0:28:25 > 0:28:31get those answered the better. cap on student numbers is a big
0:28:31 > 0:28:36factor. By increasing, or by decreasing the number of student
0:28:36 > 0:28:40place there's are, some of those students, less able students will
0:28:40 > 0:28:45miss out. Certainly. Something that both the minister and Basil McCrea
0:28:45 > 0:28:49touched on was the flows from GB students coming in. Certainly, we
0:28:49 > 0:28:53had huge fears about the number of students that would come in and
0:28:53 > 0:28:56potentially squeeze our students out. I think this move to raise the
0:28:57 > 0:29:01tuition fees for GB students is certainly going to protect local
0:29:01 > 0:29:04students and ring-fence the places. I'm quite delighted about that.