Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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62. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the extensive waiting lists for mental health supports in third level institutions; the actions he will take to address these delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54867/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Mental health is an increasingly prominent issue across campuses and is a priority area for my Department. We also have a Programme for Government commitment to continue to support students experiencing mental health and wellbeing challenges. I am pleased to tell you that as a part of Budget 2026 I am providing a 20% increase or €1m additional ringfenced funding in to support mental health initiatives, in addition to funding supports provided through core funding.

This will bring the specific fund to €6m for 2026 and assist the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the higher education institutions (HEIs) in the implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework and the Healthy Campus Charter and Framework.

In terms of funding available to the higher education sector for mental health supports, 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 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 €31.9 million to date in additional funding, to support mental health and wellbeing, through the HEA to HEIs since 2020.

National Projects were funded through this allocation between 2020 and 2025. These were 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.

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