Written answers

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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651. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to an anomaly in relation to the Covid-19 one-off emergency grant of €250 in cases in which students who are in their final year have paid their fees in full and are not going to be able to spend a credit note as they are not attending in person; his plans to address this anomaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44943/20]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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, as outlined above, 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.

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 Higher education institutions are in the process of communicating with students on the specific arrangements for disbursement of funds/credits.

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.

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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653. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the rationale for excluding post-leaving certificate students from a recently announced €250 payment for students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44965/20]

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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654. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the €250 refund for college students will be applied to SOLAS and further education students. [44983/20]

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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676. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if third level students undertaking full-time level 5 courses in institutions that come under the remit of education and training boards are eligible for the €250 payment announced in November 2020; if they are not currently eligible, if he will extend eligibility to this cohort in view of the fact that these students have also been required to move to online learning and manage the costs of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1683/21]

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 653, 654 and 676 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, which was provided in Budget 2021, in recognition of the significant challenges they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic offered financial assistance to all EU full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students attending publicly funded Higher Education Institutions. There are currently no plans to extend this scheme further.

The scheme ensures students;

- Who avail of the SUSI grant, including in Post Leaving Certificate (PLC), receive a €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;

The latter option is designed to ensure students who pay the standard €3,000 in registration fees but are not in receipt of SUSI will benefit from the measure. Students on PLC courses do not pay the €3,000 student contribution fee. The only centrally determined payment for the PLC programme is the €200 PLC participant contribution. This amount is not payable by persons with a medical card, as well as a number of other categories.

There are other supports available to PLC students including through the Back to Education Allowance provided by the Department of Social Protection, and the Fund for Student Disabilities. PLC and other Further Education and Training students also benefited from additional Covid supports announced in July, in particular the €15 million technology fund for devices. In addition Budget 2021 provided for a Mitigating Educational Disadvantage Fund worth €8 million managed by SOLAS. This fund provided funds to support educationally disadvantaged learners in accessing and participating in further education and training (FET) including in PLC.

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