TOP-UP fees for students in Wales will not be introduced until at least April 2007, if at all, Assembly Education Minister Jane Davidson announced.

The fees are still due to be introduced in England in 2006 and the announcement was welcomed by the Students' Union at University of Wales College, Newport.

Jen Tamplin, president of the university union, said: "We are delighted the Welsh Assembly is considering its stance on top-up fees.

"We hope the needs of students in Wales, and of Welsh higher education students, are carefully considered and that the education available to them does not depend upon their financial backgrounds."

Speaking to the NUS Wales Spring Conference, the Education Minister said: "We have always said that up-front tuition fees cut against encouraging more students from the disadvantaged backgrounds into HE (higher education) and FE (further education) and we want to be sure that the introduction of variable fees does not exacerbate this.

"There can be no justification for accepting the disproportionately low take up from potential learners in these groups and the under-exploitation of their talents."

The announcement came after Ms Davidson had a meeting with the Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain, and the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Charles Clarke, "to discuss the need for proper time to consider the full implications of variable fees".

She said: "We received a letter from Charles Clarke and I am able to announce that we will not be charging variable fees in Wales in the period to April 2007."

But Ms Davidson added: "This is not necessarily ruling out variable fees for the longer term."