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 allocated €15 million to higher and further education providers for a once-off COVID-19 grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices.

Devices procured using the grant are being distributed by Higher Education Institutions and Education and Training Boards to disadvantaged students via appropriate lending schemes. Almost 16,700 laptops have been procured and shipped as part of a bulk order organised by HEAnet. In addition, over 4,800 devices were procured directly by providers under this funding.

I am including in the table attached, for the Deputy's information, a breakdown of the number of devices procured by the HEIs and ETBs under the HEAnet bulk order and directly.