Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for what is genuinely a very important and timely question. Many students are asking me, as they are probably asking the Deputy, what the college year will look like. I have to be very honest with people for the sake of clarity and certainty, even if it is an answer we may not like to give.

At level 3, level 4 and level 5 of the plan for living with Covid-19 the bulk of college activity will remain online. I have engaged with students, unions and university leaders and I am conscious of the importance of providing clarity for the reasons outlined by the Deputy. People need to know what January will look like, insofar as anyone can provide certainty with this awful virus.

I have asked our colleges to try to bring in students in small groups, if they want to come in. I am pleased to say the colleges have agreed. I am particularly conscious of the needs of first year students, who last sat in a classroom in March. Through no fault of their own they could not attend school after that, finished school without a leaving certificate and eventually got into college in the face of many challenges. They may not have set foot on a campus. I would like them to be invited in for induction and to meet a few lecturers and see what life in college will look like after Covid-19. Our universities are making arrangements for that to happen.

Regarding student accommodation, as I outlined to Deputy Conway-Walsh, I have asked that refunds be provided for all college-owned accommodation, with flexible options offered to students who cannot take it up. Some students have decided to take it up because libraries, labs and sports facilities are open. I have also put several financial supports in place for students, including the provision of 17,000 laptops. We cannot tell students to learn online and not provide them with the necessary resources. I refer also to the financial assistance payment, the details of which I have outlined in answer to the previous question.

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