Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

38. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the provision being made for third level students who paid accommodation fees before the announcement was made that the colleges would not reopen in view of the fact many have not been refunded the accommodation fees paid up to Christmas 2020; the advice for third level students for the 2021-2022 semester in relation to paying for accommodation up to summer 2021; if students will be refunded if colleges do not reopen for on campus lectures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43551/20]

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

What provision is being made for the third level students who had paid accommodation fees before the announcement that the colleges would not reopen? Many have not been refunded accommodation fees that have been paid for the period up to Christmas. Will the Minister make a statement on the matter? What is the Minister's advice to third level students for the coming college semester? Should they pay for accommodation until the summer? Will they be refunded if colleges do not reopen for lectures on campus?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | 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.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The question still needs to be answered. Are students advised to go to college? They might not be allowed to go to college in the coming semester. The Minister is telling parents not to pay for student accommodation while we are under level 3 restrictions. That must be made clear to them. Many parents had more income in 2019 than this year because of the coronavirus. With less work or no work, they have less money or no money. We must be honest with them. Another question also remains. Will the Minister do anything for the families who paid for accommodation from September to Christmas, which is nearly upon us? The colleges were only open for two days. Surely they should have been informed that the colleges were not going to open before they went back.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I know the Deputy is trying to provide certainty for people and I agree with it. I am not telling anybody not to take accommodation. Some students will decide to take accommodation to use the library or because they want to live away from home. People have a variety of reasons to do different things. I am telling people what college life will look like at level 3, level 4 and level 5, which is where we are going to be in the new year while we roll out vaccines. It is likely that the bulk of lectures will take place online.

I expect rebates or refunds to be given in circumstances where accommodation is owned by the colleges. My Department does not have a lever to pull where privately owned accommodation is concerned. I have made some arrangements to assist students financially in other ways. For example, we have doubled the student assistance fund from €8 million to €16 million. Students facing financial challenges may be able to approach this fund for assistance.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. As he says, whether to pay is up to the parents. It is likely that the colleges will not open and will remain as they were from October to Christmas, unless we go to level 2 or level 1. We need to be honest with people. As I said, this is especially true in Kerry, where parents and students are very far away from colleges in Limerick, Galway, Cork and Waterford. Parts of Kerry are even very far away from Tralee. They need to know what is happening. The Minister has clearly said that the colleges will not open under level 3. The advice must be that parents should not pay for accommodation unless they decide to do so themselves.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I know what the Deputy is saying. I do not mean to be pedantic but in the interests of clarity, I note that colleges will be open but the lectures will take place online. I say that because they were not open in March. The libraries and sports facilities are now open. Students can go into the campuses in small groups to meet a lecturer, attend a tutorial or debate a point. I want to see those things happen in the new year. Practical classes are taking place. This is different from the situation earlier in the pandemic.

I am looking forward to coming to Kerry in January. Ireland's newest university, Munster technological university, will open its doors on 1 January. That will arise from the merger of the Institute of Technology Tralee and Cork Institute of Technology. This is a very significant investment in higher education that will have huge benefits for the south west of our country, helping to provide the skills we need and providing people in Kerry and Cork with the opportunity to be educated in their own counties. Keeping young people in those counties will benefit them. I look forward to being in Tralee in January.