Belfast Traffic Blocked In Fees Protests

Hundreds have attended a local student protest this afternoon - highlighting both the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and concerns over increasing university fees.

Later, at 4pm, about 150 students were still blocking Belfast's Donegal Square North as the police monitored the situation but didn't move the protestors even though buses were at a standstill and other traffic was being diverted.

It all took place at the City Hall this afternoon where the initial protest was backed by the Sinn Fein MLA for West Belfast and Employment and Learning Committee member, Sue Ramsey.

She joined the students from across the city in the original protest calling for a solution to both problems: "I have raised the concerns of students at the Employment and Learning Committee and also raised them directly with the Minister, Danny Kennedy when we met him on Monday.

"I have sought assurances from the Minister that the EMA payments for students [those over 16 years-of-age to continue in full time vocational education] will be retained and not ended like it has been in England," she said, noting that Sinn Fein also remains firmly opposed to students fees.

As the City Hall protest kicked-off, anger was growing however, as it emerged that university tuition fees in Northern Ireland are indeed "likely" to rise in line with those in the rest of the United Kingdom.

That's according to the Minister for Employment and Learning, Danny Kennedy who said this morning that the outcome of a vote today in Westminster on plans to increase fees in England to at least £9,000 a year will have a knock-on effect for Northern Ireland.

"I think my instinct is that it is likely there will be an increase to the tuition fees and I have been warning of that for sometime," he said, telling BBC NI "the situation is not entirely clear."

He said that a review of student finance has already concluded that NI fees should remain at current levels.

However, Mr Kennedy said this is now being looked at: "I have asked Joanne Stuart to update her [previous] report on student tuition fees as they apply in Northern Ireland in the light of the Browne report. I am awaiting the outcome of that," he said.

The previous Stormont Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, said in October that he would consider the findings of both the Browne Review and the original Stuart Review.

Sir Reg established a core group of people interested in higher education to help develop future student finance policy in Northern Ireland, with the first meeting held in November, before Mr Kennedy took over the portfolio.

The Browne Review was tasked with making recommendations to the Westminster Government on the future of higher education funding and student finance for full and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate students.

All of Northern Ireland's MPs are expected to vote against a resulting rise in fees in the House of Commons - but the coalition Government is expected win anyway.

Other financial problems are having an impact too, as while the proposals deal specifically with universities in England, this will effect thousands of Northern Ireland students who study there.

In fact, Executive ministers will also have to decide if they plan to follow suit and increase fees across Northern Ireland, something that Mr Kennedy admitted is "likely".

However, he cannot make a final decision without a locally agreed budget at Stormont and he alleged that Sinn Fein is 'holding things up'.

"I do not know how much money my Department will have particularly in respect of tuition fees.

"It is vitally important that the party that is holding up this process up of getting a budget, remove their blockages and bring forward a budget so that the Northern Ireland departments, the Northern Ireland ministers and the Northern Ireland people can be made aware as to the implications of the current economic problems we face," he said.

See: NI Student Fees Look Likely To 'Double'

See: EMA

(BMcC/KMcA)