Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for contributing to the meeting. I echo the comments around how they have helped make the new Department a success, particularly given the challenging year we have had. For the entire system to work as effectively as it did over the past year is testament to the efforts of staff and students and indeed all the Department and agency officials as well. I commend both the Minister and Minister of State on expanding, in these difficult times, particularly for students, the number of places available in both higher and further education. It is very significant. The level of access we have to further and higher education and the participation rates, which are among the highest in the world, are something this country should be really proud of. It is part of the debate and we should be shouting about it. We have moved on from the corporation tax rate. Talent is now the reason companies say they are coming here.

I know the Minister does not want to get into the Cassells report but one of the challenges over the past year obviously has been that the non-State sources of income for the higher education institutions have been effectively non-existent. This presents a major funding hole that will have to be addressed. The Minister might like to comment on that. I appreciate there is the big picture but there are also the losses over the past year to 18 months.

On the specific issue of international students, which the Minister raised, I wish to discuss the matter of international students who have received a vaccine not approved by the European Medicines Agency, EMA. These include the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines. This is an issue for graduates returning to Ireland as well, as the Minister knows. It is particularly an issue for significant numbers of students coming from Asia. It is up to each member state to make a determination, if some of the WHO vaccines are approved, to allow those students to enter. Let us say a student is coming from a country not on the red list but the student has received a non EMA-approved vaccine. Has there been any progress on that?

I appreciate it falls between the Departments of Health, Finance and the Minister's own Department but there is an issue around international student insurance which continues to be a problem. Will the Minister reply to those questions and I will then come back in on one or two other issues?