Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a mechanism will be introduced for fourth year student nurses not in receipt of SUSI to receive the €250 refund in view of the fact that they will not be on campus in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43176/20]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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409. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if students living here and attending university in Northern Ireland who are not in receipt of the SUSI grant are eligible to receive the €250 once off grant; if so, the way in which a student (details supplied) can apply for the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42858/20]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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410. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if postgraduate students are eligible to receive the €250 once off payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42859/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 409 and 410 together.

In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students the Government has approved once off funding of €50m to provide additional financial assistance in this academic year.

The funding was provided in Budget 2021, in recognition of the exceptional situation they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial assistance will be provided to all EU full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students attending publicly funded Higher Education Institutions.

The scheme will ensure students;

- Who avail of the SUSI grant, including students abroad, will receive €250 top-up in their grant;

- Students who do not avail of the grant but attend publicly funded Higher Education Institutions in the state can reduce by €250 any outstanding student contribution fee payments or receive a €250 credit note for their institution;

- In a small number of cases, alternative arrangements will be made for the payment of the monies to students at the discretion of institutions.

The latter two options are designed to ensure students who are not in receipt of SUSI benefit from the measure. It is also the intention that these address circumstances where students are in final year, have paid their contribution fee and may not be on campus, as in the case of final year student nurses on clinical placement..

Irish/EU/EEA students partaking in courses in other countries who are in receipt of SUSI support are eligible for the payment if they are attending approved SUSI courses in approved higher education institutions within the EU. However other EU fulltime students outside of the SUSI system must be registered in a publicly funded higher education provider in the State to avail of this allocation.

In terms of other Irish nationals studying abroad, the provision of supports to Irish citizens based on nationality alone with the exclusion of other EU nationals would be contrary to EU law. It is therefore not possible to provide supports based on Irish citizenship alone. Instead the measure applies to all of these qualifying for SUSI grants, wherever they are studying and those of EU nationality at publicly funded higher education institutions in the State. Additionally a key administrative feature of the fund is that it is being implemented with the assistance of publicly funded institutions in the State under the remit of my Department.

SUSI and institutions will be communicating directly with students on arrangements in the coming weeks.

Additionally Budget 2021 provides further funding to enhance SUSI grant supports for post-grads and increase support for the PATH access initiative.

This builds on the additional supports announced in July including a doubling of the Student Assistance Fund, and a €15 million technology fund for devices for students in further and higher education.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the Covid-19 related supports available to third-level and further education colleges for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43220/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Since the onset of Covid-19 in March, my Department, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and SOLAS have collaborated with key stakeholders from the sector to identify, quantify and develop options to mitigate the financial impacts of Covid 19 on the sector, including costs associated with the safe commencement of the 2020/21 academic year in line with Public Health advice. As announced in July, 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 and is specific to 2020.

Through Budget 2021, as detailed in the 2021 Expenditure Report, funding will be provided to meet demographic and other pressures across the sectors, including Covid-19 impacts, and to provide for additional upskilling and reskilling opportunities, as well as increased capacity and places in the higher education sector. The funding in this Vote as noted in the Expenditure Report includes the National Training Fund.

In this regard €167million is allocated towards Covid-19 related policy responses. Funding in respect of core budgetary programmes, demographics and the central pay agreement provision are provided for separately.

The 2021 report notes that from an expenditure perspective there are two distinct policy goals that will need to be addressed in budgetary decisions over the medium term: providing for the core budgetary programmes; and funding Covid-19 related policy responses.

While full details on the allocation of resources across spending areas will be set out, as usual, in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) I have highlighted below key measures to me met from the increased 2021 allocations referenced by the Deputy:

- Continuation of July Stimulus and 2021 Skills Package to reskill and upskill people affected by the pandemic;

- Research investment to support researchers, build capacity, support Covid research, and strengthen north-south research links;

- Funding will be provided to sustain additional places in higher education following exceptional increased demand arising from the Calculated Grade model on this years Leaving Certificate;

- Ensure students impacted by Covid have access to necessary supports through SUSI to facilitate active participation in education;

- Increased SUSI grant supports for post-graduate students;

- Additional support for the PATH access initiative to increase participation in Higher Education from the most economically disadvantaged students.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will engage with the HEA and the sector, to inform discussion with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the allocation of funding in 2021 to ensure that the sector can continue to operate safely in the Covid-19 environment.