Questions asked by Kate Nicholl in the Northern Ireland Assembly

The Mid Down Steering Group, as proposer of the Development Proposal to establish Mid Down Integrated College (MDIC), has the statutory responsibility for implementing the proposal.

The Steering Group has been supported throughout the development process by the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education.

The Steering Group has indicated its intention to open MDIC in September 2027, operating initially from the existing Blackwater Integrated College site in Downpatrick.

I refer the Member to AQW 52977/22-27.

My Department does not hold data on the number of locally domiciled students who graduate from universities in other regions and subsequently return to live here within 10 years of graduation.

The principal source of information available to my Department on where graduates live and work after graduating is the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) Graduate Outcomes survey. This survey captures graduate activity approximately 15 months after graduation. The results of the 2023/24 survey shows that about half of locally domiciled graduates in employment who studied elsewhere had returned here to work.

The Careers Portal Project is currently in hibernation following the absence of a sustainable funding solution. A decision on whether it should continue or close will be considered through a review process aligned with the budget cycle and business planning.

This review will take account of funding opportunities, affordability, strategic priorities, stakeholder support and restart readiness.

As autonomous institutions, courses offered and delivered by the universities are a matter for them. Similarly, decisions on the courses delivered by Further Education colleges are operational matters for individual colleges and their Governing Bodies.

However my Department’s Careers Advisers are professionally qualified and hold a relevant Level 6 or above Careers Guidance qualification. The Department also supports workforce development within the Careers Service through its Trainee Careers Adviser Programme, which includes a Level 6 qualification in Careers Guidance and Development.

The Level 6 Diploma in Careers Guidance and Development is available from a number of awarding institutions nationally. The Open University is currently the only local institution that delivers this qualification. This qualification is distinct from qualifications for careers teaching.

My Department publishes official statistics on enrolments at local Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at the following address: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/publications/enrolments-uk-higher-education-institutions-northern-ireland-analysis-202425

The table below sets out the number of students domiciled in Britain, who were enrolled at local HEIs in 2024/25 (the most recent year for which statistics are available).

Figures in the table are rounded to the nearest 5, with 0, 1, 2 rounded to 0. Due to rounding, totals may not sum.

My Department is committed to strengthening the attractiveness of the north’s higher education offering through investment in our institutions, supporting student mobility and enhancing graduate opportunities. Achieving these objectives requires collaboration across a range of stakeholders, and I recognise the role that organisations such as Tourism NI can play in promoting the region as a destination to study, live and work. I will continue to engage with relevant partners, including Tourism NI, as appropriate in support of these aims.

The Magee Expansion Taskforce identified the creation of a "destination campus in a destination city" as a key enabler of the Magee expansion programme and recommended that the Department work with partners including Tourism NI, Strabane District Council and Visit Derry to develop a marketing campaign to promote the city and campus as a destination of choice. The Taskforce recognised that attracting students from outside the region, including from Britain, will be important in achieving the ambition of 10,000 students at Magee.

In support of this objective, my Department commissioned Tourism NI earlier this year to develop and deliver the ‘Legenderry’ campaign to enhance awareness and perceptions of Derry as a destination. The campaign provides a useful example of the type of place marketing that can support wider efforts to attract students to study in the North.

I recognise the value of understanding the experiences and outcomes of students who choose to study elsewhere.

The Graduate Outcomes Survey provides information on students 15 months post-graduation, including those who study at home or away, and is routinely published.

In addition, the Longitudinal Education Outcomes database, which currently links education data, provides the foundation for future research into post-graduation destinations.

Any decision to commission additional research will be considered in light of departmental priorities and the potential benefits such work could provide in supporting future policy development.

The independent research shows that educational migration is complex and nuanced. When compared with other regions in England and Wales, we are not an outlier in terms of outward student migration. While we do need to maximise retention rates, we also need to address our very low inward student mobility.

The report findings also strongly reinforce the importance of my Economy Vision and its four pillars. I am focused on creating more high-quality jobs, raising productivity and supporting balanced regional growth.

To support the north’s attractiveness as a place to study, live and work, I will continue to focus on a number of important measures, including:

building on the strong international reputation of our universities;

promoting our relatively low cost of living while enhancing the student experience;

improving the availability of attractive graduate career opportunities;

raising productivity to support higher-paid employment;

lobbying the British Government for the removal of constraints that limit growth; and

strengthening the promotion of the north as a destination for students from outside the region.

Together, these actions will support both graduate retention and increased inward student mobility.

The works at Fourwinds and Newton Park are developer-led works associated with planning approval for neighbouring residential developments. The scope of the works includes widening the existing roundabout, increasing capacity from one lane to two running lanes on all approaches, alterations to footways and enhancing pedestrian facilities along with road signage.

In overseeing these works, my Department must ensure that its statutory responsibilities for the public road network are properly discharged, including that the works are carried out safely and in accordance with the relevant approvals and requirements. While I recognise the concerns raised by businesses, there is no general compensation scheme available through my Department for loss of income arising from disruption associated with properly authorised roadworks. My officials will, however, continue to liaise with the developer to ensure that disruption is managed and mitigated as far as reasonably practicable.

Following agreement of an Executive Budget, all funding available to my Department, regardless of source, will be considered when determining budget allocations.

The contingency allocations issued by my Permanent Secretary in May 2026 were temporary spending control measures put in place in the absence of an agreed Executive Budget. Once the Executive agrees a budget, I will determine how DfE’s allocation is deployed in line with my Economic Priorities.

As a statutory consultee, my Department provides specialist road safety information and transportation advice to the relevant local council Planning Authority on road related matters associated with proposed development applications. In doing so, officials take account of current planning policy, development plans and supplementary planning guidance before making a recommendation to the Planning Authority.

It is for the applicant to provide sufficient information to demonstrate that a proposal complies with relevant policy, design standards, and other guidance in relation to of layout, parking and traffic impact. Where a Transport Assessment is required, my officials review the information submitted and, where appropriate, assess the impact of committed developments in the locality. These are developments which are proposed or approved and which have reasonable certainty of proceeding and therefore may add traffic to the same transport network.

Where a number of developments are proposed in close proximity, cumulative transport impacts may be best considered at the earliest stage, including through the development plan process where sites or areas are being zoned. In such circumstances, the Planning Authority may work with my Department to ensure that the combined transport implications of the wider area are properly assessed, rather than considering each proposal in isolation.