Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for this important question. The Government has worked intensively with representatives of staff, students and the management of institutions, as well as the Chief Medical Officer, to devise and publish a plan that shows how we will get our students safely back to college campuses, whether in further or higher education. We have said what people can expect at a minimum. I outlined to the Deputy's colleague, Deputy Conway-Walsh, the concept of treating a college in the same way a town or village would be treated. What is safe to do in a town or village needs to be safe to do on a college campus. We have also said that a maximum, we will get the large-scale lectures back, and that we will make a call on that based on the prevailing public health situation in a couple of weeks.

The Deputy referred to vaccination and that is the key. We believe in and know that the vaccines work. Our Chief Medical Officer has said that when people are vaccinated, they should be able to get on with their lives. We are planning to have all adults vaccinated by the end of August, according to the CEO of the HSE. That should provide great assistance in ensuring additional safety. The Deputy will be aware that while some people are debating, talking about and thinking about rolling out rapid testing, we have got on and done it in the higher education sector. We are rolling out an extensive pilot with thousands of students and staff being invited to take part every week. This may be an additional tool. I do not want to pre-empt the outcome of it but it makes sense to look into it. Towards the end of summer, we will be able to decide if we can roll it out further. I will report to the Cabinet with an update on 19 July. That will hopefully provide the further clarity that the institutions will need to get on with the process of issuing individual timetables for students. I am sure the Deputy is looking forward to Dundalk Institute of Technology and such colleges seeing students back on campus.

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