John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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1044. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is anticipated that students in third-level education will be able to return to on-campus learning from September 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30895/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government has committed to a significant increase in on-site attendance in the tertiary education sector in the next academic year.

All parties are agreed that maximising on-site provision for the next academic year is the shared and most powerful objective to meet the needs of our students and learners and the sector.

In May the Department established a Working Group to achieve this commitment. This group, comprised of all the key stakeholders and sectoral representative bodies, has completed its work and developed a plan for returning to significant levels of on-site tertiary education in the autumn.

The Department has also completed bi-lateral discussions with the Department of An Taoiseach and the Department of Health in relation to the Plan.

The Plan will be presented to Government for approval on Tuesday 15 June. A plain English version of the plan will be published by the Department shortly thereafter.

The plan will continue to prioritise public health and safety and will be capable of responding to ongoing changes in public health, including the level of vaccination achieved and future national public health advice.