Elisha McCallion (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending. I look forward to working with him and his officials over the coming weeks and months. I wish to put on the public record our thanks and appreciation to him, his officials and the further and higher education establishments, which have been doing fabulous work over recent weeks.

I note with some concern reports yesterday that the individual action plans that had been agreed by various institutions would not in fact be considered or reviewed by the Department. I note what the Minister has said about the outbreak management protocol, but as for the individual action plans, why give out guidelines to these institutions if the Department will not in fact review them? Could I have some clarity on that?

Like some of the previous speakers, we in Sinn Féin have heard many stories of students who have been told they will get a certain amount of campus time this year. While I wish to put on the record that public health should be paramount and central to everything we do in the weeks and months ahead, these people have made commitments to accommodation. I heard what the Minister said about his call to the institutions to be flexible, but have he and his Department spoken to the Government here and other Departments to look at a package that could perhaps decrease fees this year and possibly even reduce rents or help students to pay them? Students should not have to bear the brunt of the pandemic. Has the Minister looked at anything bespoke and specific to that?

I note what the Minister has been saying about his key priorities, particularly in the coming year, but I find it staggering that there was no mention by him of Brexit, given the fact that we are possibly coming to a cliff edge in respect of the withdrawal agreement and the possibility that the British Government might not adhere to it. Where does the Minister believe the third sector is with Brexit, regardless of whether the withdrawal agreement will be adhered to? I am aware that a lot of work has been done on North-South co-operation over the years, which is to be welcomed, but there has not been enough. I therefore call on the Government and the Minister himself to take the lead on this and establish an all-island forum on further and higher education and a summit or gathering of some sort. It is really important that this is done sooner rather than later, especially given the many issues that further and higher education institutions in the North and the South will face in the months ahead in respect of Brexit. I therefore specifically request that the Minister consider putting this to the North-South Ministerial Council and establishing a task force to look at the many cross-Border issues facing our institutions. Could I ask specifically about the Erasmus programme? It has been made clear by the EU that it will legislate for those who are currently part of the programme to continue with their studies in the event of a no-deal Brexit. What are the Minister's intentions in that regard? More specifically, while it is important to have clarity for students who are currently on the programme, has the Minister taken into consideration European students in the North who have Irish citizenship, who are not part of the current cohort but who will possibly consider seeking to access the programme in the future? Is he considering a vehicle that will allow students in the North to avail of this programme in the years ahead?

What is the Minister's position on the Part 5 amendment to the Student Support Act 2011? Under the previous legislation, it was suggested that eligible students from the Six Counties who are studying in the Twenty-six Counties and who currently qualify for support from SUSI will continue to do so. That was part of the legislation based on the withdrawal agreement. Given the fact that we may not have the withdrawal agreement and that the Government is looking at new legislation, does the Minister believe that such support will continue? I seek absolute clarity on the Minister's future intentions regarding those students.

When the Minister was considering his key priorities, did he give any thought to the Government's commitment under the New Decade, New Approach deal at a time when we are all quite rightly discussing the fact that the British Government intends not to honour what was agreed in the withdrawal agreement? I remind him and the Department of the specific commitment to the expansion of the Magee campus in Derry in the north west. I ask the Minister to explicitly outline the Government's position on that. I called for a task force to be established to consider many issues. There needs to be a meeting of minds between the Minister, the Government, the Executive in the North and all of the key players in the north west who are trying to ensure the project is delivered. I specifically urge that a task force would be established to progress this significant project. I remind the Minister that the political will is there and that a political commitment from the Minister, the British Government and the Executive is also required.