Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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554. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the exclusion of students of Carlow College, the second oldest higher education institution in Ireland, from his Department’s recently announced laptop scheme and additional mental health services; and his views on same. [23726/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As part of a package of COVID-19 supports for the higher and further education sectors, my Department has allocated €15 million to higher and further education providers for a once-off COVID-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices.

In the higher education sector, grants are made available to those institutions that receive support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) therefore as Carlow College does not receive funding under the SAF it did not come under the terms of the ICT grant.

Additional funding of €3m for mental wellbeing and health services was reprioritised by the HEA for their designated institutions. Carlow College is not included in this package of funding as it is not a HEA designated institution.