ÌÇÐÄVlog

The cost of Northern Ireland's main consultative bodies for further and higher education is more than £250,000.

Higher and further education minister Sean Farren told the Northern Ireland Assembly that the cost of maintaining the Northern Ireland ÌÇÐÄVlog Council and the Further Education Consultative Committee in 1999-2000 was £266,500.

Dr Farren also confirmed that nine training centres in the province have merged with colleges.

Meanwhile, the University of Ulster has allocated most of the extra places it gained as a result of the 1998 comprehensive spending review to its Magee campus.