Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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657. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if students who have already paid their fees for the 2020-2021 academic year will effectively be unable to access the €250 Covid support until September 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9540/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students, financial assistance will be provided in academic year 2020/21 to all students who avail of SUSI grants and to all EU full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students attending publicly funded Higher Education Institutions in the state.

The scheme will ensure students:

- Who avail of the SUSI grant 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 and that the institution determines the students status as a full time student.

Higher education providers have completed or are in the process of completing the allocation to students. The Department has requested that institutions provide any outstanding credits in a timely manner before 28 February 2021. In a small number of cases where a credit cannot be applied a payment may be facilitated at the discretion of the institution.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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658. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if PhD students who have scholarships that cover their fees will be unable to access €250 Covid support until they graduate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9541/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students, financial assistance will be provided in academic year 2020/21 to all students who avail of SUSI grants and to all EU full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students attending publicly funded Higher Education Institutions in the state.

The scheme will ensure students;

- Who avail of the SUSI grant 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 and that the institution determines the students status as a full time student.

Higher education providers have completed or are in the process of completing the allocation to students. The Department has requested that institutions provide any outstanding credits in a timely manner before 28 February 2021. In a small number of cases where a credit cannot be applied a payment may be facilitated at the discretion of the institution.