Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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91. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding provided by his Department to support the well-being of students which is particularly important given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58575/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The support and wellbeing of our students is a priority for my Department, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased stress and pressure resulting from it.

In 2020, I secured a comprehensive package of financial supports from Government for the higher education and further education and training sectors to mitigate the impact of Covid.

This package included funding of €3m to underpin wellbeing and mental health and student services in our higher education institutions (HEIs) which was in addition to the €2m funding that was allocated in Budget 2020 and funding that institutions already provide for these services.

The funding allocation in 2021 for mental health and wellbeing supports in HEIs is €5m, matching the commitment made in 2020.

In addition, in 2021/22 academic year we were acutely aware of the impact of the pandemic on students, and in that context provided for a doubling of the baseline Student Assistance Funding, bringing the total allocation to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) to €17.2m.

This includes:

- Baseline core funding allocation of €8.1m.

- €1 million ring-fenced core funding for the support of part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups identified in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education.

- An additional €8.1m of the COVID19 return to education package 2021, doubling the baseline core funding. This was part of the additional funding package of €10 million which has been renewed for the 2021/22 academic year.

The €1.9m COVID-19 Contingency Fund will continue for the 2021/22 academic year to support access services. This is ring-fenced funding to meet the wider needs of vulnerable students and target groups (pre-entry and post-entry) beyond those already catered for though the SAF.

An allocation of €10 million has also been made to the Mitigating Against Educational Disadvantage Fund for this year. This Fund supports educationally disadvantaged learners in accessing and participating in further education and training. It also enables investment in building the digital infrastructure of FET providers and their online learning capability. This supports online delivery in a way that meets the complex needs of all FET learners, and ensures that these learners have the skills that will allow them to effectively participate in their programmes.