John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his strategy to support students impacted by domestic violence including access to SUSI supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6372/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The main support available to students is the Student Grant Scheme managed by SUSI. The scheme provides maintenance and fee grant support for qualifying students who meet the criteria regarding means, nationality, residency and progression. In 2020/21 over 101,000 students applied for grant support with almost 80,000 students assessed as eligible for support.

The decision on eligibility for student grant assistance is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI to determine.

The overall arrangements implemented by SUSI for the administration of student grants seek to accommodate sensitively difficult circumstances affecting applicants which include but are not confined to family estrangement, differing marital circumstances of dependent applicants’ parents, state and foster care, orphanhood, unaccompanied minor immigrants and exceptional circumstances impacting on a student’s attendance on their course. Many of these circumstances are explicitly recognised in the governing legislation and SUSI also recognises them throughout its processes, including from the point of application and has established specific procedures for their sensitive handling throughout. In assessing the evidence presented, SUSI will have regard to the particular circumstances in each case and the corroborative nature of the evidence available to support the student’s grant application.

If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the awarding authority. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by the SUSI Appeals Officer they can then, submit an appeal to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.

In terms of other supports available to students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. The SAF is available to assist students who are unable to meet costs associated with day-to-day participation in higher education, including:

- books and other class material that are required to enable students to continue and participate in teaching and learning and/or complete examinations

- rent, heating and lighting bills and other utility bills e.g., mobile phone data plans, that are required to enable students to continue and participate in teaching and learning and/or complete examinations

- food

- essential travel

- childcare costs

- medical costs

- family difficulties e.g., bereavement

The above list is not exhaustive, eligible costs are decided on a case by case basis by the access office in line with the scheme guidelines. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis. The Access Officers work with students to see how they can be supported financially through the Student Assistance Fund in meeting the costs associated with day-to-day participation in higher education. As part of the package of COVID19 supports for 2020 and 2021 the level of baseline core funding was doubled by providing an additional €8.1m in each of those two years. In addition to these increases I announced another additional funding of €1.3 million for the Student Assistance Fund last Thursday as I have listened to the voice of students, who have clearly articulated that COVID and the increased cost of living is having a major impact on the financial situation of students and their families. This additional funding means that a total of €18.5m has been made available to students who find themselves in financial need during the 2021/2022 academic year.

In addition in 2021, a further €5 million was allocated to the higher education institutions to support student mental health and wellbeing. This funding allocated by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) included €2m delivered through the Recurrent Grant Model to Higher Education Institutions along with an additional €3m secured as part of the 2021 Covid-19 response package.

HEIs were requested to allocate funds towards student-facing services such as:

- Recruitment of additional Student Counsellors;

- Recruitment of additional Assistant Psychologists;

- Head of service posts for those HEIs employing more than 2 FTEs;

- Training of HEI staff to enable them to support and refer students to appropriate services;

- Raising awareness among students of mental health and wellbeing services available, including through student outreach activities;

- Implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework;

- Implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs; Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions.

HEIs were advised that the funding allocations were additional and intended to enhance rather than displace existing provision of student supports in the areas of mental health and wellbeing. HEIs were advised to make provision for the sustainability of any supports funded under this allocation, as it was for the 2021-2022 academic year only.

Details of the allocations to each higher education institution in 2021 are available at:www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e297d-financial-and-mental-health-wellbeing-supports-to-students-worth-22-million-announced-by-minister-harris/

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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118. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to assess medical, nursing and other healthcare profession places in higher education institutions to ensure sufficient graduates in these fields; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5549/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the critical importance of having a strong pipeline of healthcare graduates, and my Department is strongly committed to supporting the health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, and support a range of clinical teams in our health services.

The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service.

My officials are actively engaging with the Department of Health on determining the current and long term skills needs of the healthcare services, and the role which the further and higher education sector can play in meeting those skills needs. I will ensure that there is continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that we deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to ensure that persons with disabilities and with low incomes can attend higher and further education. [6324/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Inclusion is one of the core strategic goals for my Department. My ambition is to ensure that we provide supports and opportunities for learning to all. This means recognising the needs of persons on low income and those with special and additional needs.

A range of supports and measures are in place for students attending higher education including for learners with low income and with disabilities; some of these supports are targeted while others are available to the general student population.

The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

The eligibility criteria for student grants are reviewed annually by the Department and approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. All proposals made in relation to education expenditure, including student grants, are considered in the context of the annual Budget.

As part of Budget 2022, I have secured an additional €15m to enhance the existing financial supports under the Student Grant Scheme for implementation in 2022.

For the academic year 2022/23 this will mean:-

- An increase to all student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant, of €200 per year which will benefit all students entitled to receive a maintenance Grant. There are currently circa 62,000 SUSI grant recipients receiving maintenance support.

- The income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant has been increased by €1,000.

- The qualifying distance criterion for students to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant has been reduced from 45km to 30km, effective from the start of the 2022/23 academic year.

I have prioritised these changes for the 2022/23 academic year and they will benefit thousands of students building on the improvements that have already been made for postgraduate students through this year’s student grant scheme. These improvements to the student grant scheme have been a priority for me since taking up my Ministerial appointment.

I am also happy to give an update on the review of the Student Grant Scheme. This was a very important commitment in the Programme for Government, which will help shape decision-making on how we support students over the years to come. The draft report was submitted to me in late December 2021. Given the inter-connectivity between strategic student support issues and other reform priorities (e.g. the expansion of supports to part-time and blended learners as an enabler of lifelong learning or enhanced postgraduate supports as an enabler to equality, diversity and inclusion in the R&I system), it is now my intention to bring the report to Cabinet shortly alongside the Future Funding Model report.

It is important to state the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2021 (NAP) set targets to increase participation in higher education by people with disabilities. Specific targets have been set to increase participation in higher education by students with physical or sensory disabilities. The original (8%) and revised target (12%) under the National Access Plan of new entrants to higher education with disabilities has now been exceeded, with 12.2% of new entrants to higher education in 2019/20 declaring a disability.However, we acknowledge more needs to be done. Work on the development of the next National Access Plan (NAP) 2022 - 2026 is currently underway. One-to-one stakeholder meetings around the specific target groups to be supported for the period of the next NAP have almost concluded. Colleagues in my Department are working closely with the HEA on the development of the new Plan with the intention of publishing the plan in early 2022. An additional €5million has been set aside for this plan.

The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) supports participation by students with a disability in further and higher education. €9.6m is allocated to the Fund annually for both Further and Higher Education. In 2019/2020, circa 16,000 students were supported through the fund.

In January 2021, I approved a number of strategic projects under the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) aimed at supporting students with disabilities to access and engage with higher education. The initiatives, which involve 24 higher education institutions (HEI) and €5.8m in expenditure, are broad and are aimed at improving access to higher education for people with a disability, to improving college campuses and to assist staff with training and development. Among the projects are a number of projects for students with autism including the establishment of autism friendly rooms across nine different campuses, the development of assistive technology including for students with disabilities, an app to help students with visual or hearing impairment navigate their way around campus and specialist assistance for students who are deaf.

My Department will continue to keep existing provision and initiatives under review. We want to develop a better understanding of what works best within the different models, and to look at how we can assist people to access and progress through higher and further education and training

Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The Student Assistance Fund is a critical support which is allocated by my Department to higher education institutions. The fund has a dual focus. It is designed to support students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds with ongoing needs for financial support. It also to provide emergency financial assistance for other students. Students can apply for supports from this fund through their Access Office.

The funding for the Student Assistance Fund pre-Covid was €9.1 million per annum. This includes €1 million which was added to the fund in 2017 for part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups under the National Access Plan. Prior to that the fund supported full-time students only. From the start of the pandemic, I have listened to the perspectives of students and their families who have told me of the significant impact which the pandemic has had on the financial situation of many learners.That is why, as part of my Department’s response to the issues affecting students arising from the pandemic, I have allocated significantly higher amounts to the Fund over the past two academic years. In total, €18.2 million was allocated for the 2020/2021 academic year. Last week, I announced the allocation of an additional €1.3 million once off further funding for this year, which brings the allocation for the 2021/22 academic year to €18.5 million. In addition €1.9 million has also been allocated in Covid-19 funding to a contingency fund for access services.

Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy 2020-2024 is built. The FET sector has progressed a series of actions to support the goal of Fostering Inclusion through the development and roll-out of a series of good practice guidelines to promote inclusion throughout FET, including for learners with a disability. This includes the development of a conceptual framework for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for the FET Sector, which aims to reduce obstacles to learning by taking into account the needs of learners of diverse backgrounds and abilities, and the publication of the report on ‘Guidelines on Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Adult Literacy Service’.

Further Education and Training (FET) is fully committed to building inclusive teaching and learning environments. It offers every individual, regardless of any previous level of education, a pathway to take them as far as they want to go, including third level. FET is reaching diverse communities and providing inclusive education and training and continuously strives to be as accessible as possible for all, whereby each individual is given the best opportunity to succeed.

The Mitigating Against Educational Disadvantage Fund (MAEDF) aims to provide funding to support educationally disadvantage learners in accessing and participating in community education. The fund was first made available in 2020 with €5.8m granted comprising over 500 community education projects funded through the 16 Education and Training Boards. In light of the great successes of the MAEDF in 2020, and in recognition of the continuing challenges in relation to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, a further €6.85 million was granted under this Fund again in 2021, comprising over 1,000 initiatives. The projects funded varied from projects to help support online learning, connect communities and providing social supports to the most disadvantaged.