Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is moving from its initial emergency response towards a more sustainable model of provision for displaced persons arriving from Ukraine. This approach is designed to align service delivery with those available to Irish and EU citizens, in accordance with the equity principle contained in the Temporary Protection Directive.

This means new entrants to higher education courses in the 2023/24 academic year will now have their eligibility to access the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) assessed on the same basis as for all other students, including Irish citizens and those who have been granted International Protection in Ireland.

In order to be eligible for FFI, a student must demonstrate that they have been resident in the State, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK for at least three years in the previous five-year period ending on the day before the start of their approved course of study.

Where the residency requirement is not met, recipients of Temporary Protection will fall liable for the appropriate fee rate. However, the Presidents of the Irish Higher Education Institutions have agreed that beneficiaries of Temporary Protection will be liable for the EU fee rate rather than the higher international fee rate usually charged to non-EU students.

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection will also be required to meet the same residency criteria to be eligible for grants under the Student Support Scheme.

The options in respect of support new entrants with Temporary Protection for the 2023/24 academic year are currently under review, and I hope to be in a position to communicate the outcome shortly.