Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is right about career guidance. We have linked in and are utilising the ETB career guidance service. I am grateful that the Senator mentioned ETBs because it provides me with an opportunity to thank them. I have visited quite a number of ETB centres in several counties over the past month and have been blown away by the level of work they are doing and the skills on show across the range of programmes that they offer. With SOLAS and using translators, they provide Safe Pass classes. They also provide access to cookery classes. I met many women displaced from Ukraine who were teaching our learners about their national foods and exchanging ideas. Nice intercultural work is happening. The ETBs are also ramping up provision of English language teaching. The further education and training, FET, colleges are playing a major part and the work is already happening. The Senator is right about the appeal – it is local and we have waived the fees, so there is no cost.

Regarding the NSR help desk, there is no web page at the moment because we are trying to use gov.ie, which has a Ukrainian section to co-ordinate everything. We will keep the matter under review. At the moment, though, it is an email address and a phone number. The FAQs should be on gov.ie, but if there is a gap that people believe we need to fill, they should let me know.

I have stated several times that students coming from Ukraine will be able to access all of the same supports, including SUSI. To be clear, they will not be accessing SUSI. Instead, they will be getting the equivalent of SUSI through the Erasmus+ programme.