Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the financial question, I will get the Deputy a note on that. A €50 million scheme was approved by Government.

I have dealt with how SUSI students will receive their funding and I will not dwell on that. In regard to non-SUSI students, if we may call them that, higher education institutions will contact eligible students as soon as is practicable. I have made clear that I would like this contact to happen in advance of Christmas. Students do not need to contact their college or apply for the credit as it will automatically be applied by the institution. All higher education institutions have been asked to apply a credit note in the name of the registered student as soon as possible. In a small number of cases, as I said, where credit cannot be applied, a payment may be facilitated at the discretion of the institution. I expect individual institutions to communicate directly with their students on this in advance of Christmas. It may be the start of 2021 when some people receive the credit note or reimbursement, but the SUSI payments will go out on Friday.

I thank the Minister. Do the institutions already have this money? Is it being front-loaded?

Cross-Border enrolment on this island is still far too low. In the past ten years there has been a decline of almost 40% in the number of students from this State studying in the North. Students from the North of Ireland make up less than 1% of enrolment in this State. We need to work collectively to reverse those trends, and we should start by not punishing students and giving the same leeway to those studying in the North. We need an all-island approach to education. We can offer better options to students by working together as an island. I ask the Minister to work with us to make sure of this.

We must also make sure that students in the North can avail of the Horizon 2020 programme after 1 January. Perhaps the Minister could comment on that.

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