Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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168. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if funding and grants are available for mature students to purchase electronic devices to aid with their studies given courses have moved online due to Covid-19. [12371/21]

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, and in response to the shift to online and blended learning, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science allocated €15m to higher and further education and training providers for a grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices.

This has enabled the purchase of over 21,000 devices by higher and further education providers, in an effort to address concerns regarding the digital divide and to support disadvantaged students, including mature students, in adapting to the new models of learning.

Devices procured using the grant have been, and are still being, distributed by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to disadvantaged students via lending schemes. It is a matter for each higher and further education provider to determine which individual students should be prioritised to receive a device, on a needs basis and within the terms and conditions of the grant.

Students, including mature students, who consider they may be eligible to apply for a device should contact the relevant HEI or ETB for further information.