Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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630. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for expanding the current supports in terms of mental health services across third level education facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40031/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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In terms of funding available to the higher education sector for mental health supports, higher education institutions (HEIs) receive funding from a variety of sources that contribute to the expenditure associated with the full range of institutional activities.

Funding includes recurrent funding allocated by my Department to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA funded higher education institutions. Institutions also receive tuition fees which incorporate the previous student services charge following the introduction of the student contribution in 2011. As autonomous bodies the internal disbursement of funding, including the funding and expansion of student services and mental health supports, is a matter for the individual institution.

As part of its broader sectoral objective of supporting students on their journey to success, in and through higher education my Department has provided €25.9 million in additional funding through the HEA to Higher Education Institutions since 2020.

This funding is to further support Higher Education Institutions in meeting the mental health and wellbeing needs of their student population and in implementing the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework (2020). The additional funding was also used to augment coordination of capacity building on a national level through a number National Projects.

The National Projects funded through this allocation are a direct response to the HEA’s Connecting for Life Working Group identifying gaps in the current research and practice. These projects augment policymaking and facilitate the implementation of the Framework, by providing dedicated tools, focused research, and professional collaboration.

In 2022, an additional €900,000 was made available for supporting Ukrainian students registered in Irish HEIs and who are in Ireland under a temporary Section 60 order.

HEIs in receipt of this funding are encouraged to distribute it in support of specific student-facing areas, such as:

- Recruitment of additional Student Counsellors

- Recruitment of additional Assistant Psychologists

- Head of Service posts

- Training of 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

The majority of new posts created through this funding have been counsellors, reflecting the capacity building phase of the implementation of the Framework.

HEIs have reported a breadth of positive impacts, from a reduction in engagement times to an increase in the number of sessions provided.

In 2022, the HEA formally took over the implementation of the Healthy Campus Charter and Framework. This Framework aims to embed health and wellbeing more broadly within institutions and provides strategic direction on developing a whole-campus approach to health and wellbeing.

I am pleased to confirm to the Deputy that for 2025 I have ring fenced core funding of €5milliion to continue these important initiatives.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.