Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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580. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 319 of 29 September 2020, if he will provide the total amount of additional Covid-19-related Exchequer expenditure for 2021 for his Department and a breakdown by line items of this additional expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28682/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, matters relating to 2021 funding form part of budgetary discussions that are currently ongoing between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and other Government Departments and Offices. I am liaising closely with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform as part of this process to secure additional funding for the Further and Higher Education sectors, including costs incurred as a result of Covid 19. This will form part of Budget 2021 announcements.

The delivery of further and higher education in the context of Covid-19 will cost the providers more not less. The government has provided additional and re-prioritised funding in the amount of €168m to enable providers to facilitate the safe return of students to further and higher education in 2020, in the context of public health advice. This funding includes provision for PPE and equipment, online learning costs, student supports and research costs.

I will continue to work with further and higher education providers, agencies and key stakeholders to identify impact of the pandemic on our further and higher education sectors and to mitigate the additional pressures faced as a result of covid-19.