Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Both issues are important. The Department takes them very seriously. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has really led in these areas. In 2021, €5 million was allocated to our higher education institutions to support student mental health and well-being. That builds on the €5 million provided in the previous year to enhance the capacity of the support structures available. We were particularly mindful of the fact that we wanted to help people in a more one-to-one setting, so in this regard the money went towards hiring additional capacity and providing people with more contact time and support hours.

On consent, sexual violence and harassment, the framework for consent in higher education institutions was launched in 2019. Its aim is to ensure the creation of a campus culture that is safe, respectful and supportive. To assist institutions in implementing the framework, funding of over €400,000 was allocated by our Department to a number of initiatives since the launch. In addition, the Higher Education Authority has allocated funding of over €500,000 to consent workshops for the development of what is called Speak Out, an anonymous reporting and support tool. Significant resources and funding have been made available.