Debate contribution: Ulster University: Job Losses
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 14 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Ulster University: Job Losses
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5685513
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for her question. As I said to Miss McAllister, my top priority in the ongoing Budget negotiations is to achieve additional funding so that we can invest in our further and higher education institutions. As skills, which include further and higher education, make up 75% of my budget, we invest significantly in our institutions, including our higher education institutions, but it has been a challenge over recent years. Between 2016-17 and 2024-25, the Executive's Budget as a whole increased by 58%. The budget for my Department in that time increased by only 1%. That is because of the investment that we have made in Health and Education, but it has had an impact on other Departments and made it really challenging to keep up with the inflationary costs that we are experiencing. I want to invest more in our further and higher education system. It is worth noting, however, that, of the two campuses outside Belfast, Magee has seen a 22% increase in student numbers since the Executive returned, and Coleraine has seen a 12% increase in student numbers since the Executive returned. We see good progress, but I recognise that we have more to do and that we need to stabilise our higher education funding system.
211 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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