Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I would like to congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their appointments. There are great challenges involved in being Ministers in a very new Department for the first time, but there are also great opportunities. I regard both Ministers as a dynamic duo, so I expect to see great achievements by both of them in this new Department.

I will start with the Minister, Deputy Harris. It is not so much a question as a request for the Minister to reflect on an issue. Thousands of students have commenced in third level institutions and institutes of further education over the past few weeks. We need to recognise that they are starting courses under very unusual circumstances. We cannot shy away from the fact that they are missing out on a huge part of their life experiences as a result of not being able to be engaged on campus. Instead a lot of them are attending lectures via zoom calls or remotely into their bedrooms. It is important that we offer them some hope and that they recognise that the situation will not be like this indefinitely, and they will be able to get back control of their lives. Can the Minister say anything to these students to give them that hope and to tell them that he recognises they are missing out on important developments in their lives?