Danny Healy-Rae presses for clarity on student accommodation refunds

Minister, what provision has been made for the total level students who had paid accommodation fees before the announcement was made that the colleges would not reopen? Many have not been refunded the accommodation fees paid up to Christmas and if you will make a statement on the matter and what advice are you the Minister giving to total level students for the coming college semester? Should they pay accommodation up to the summer or will they get refunded if the colleges do not reopen for on-campus lectures? I want to thank Deputy Hilly Ray for what is genuinely a very important and timely question because a lot of students are asking me what they are probably asking the Deputy in relation to what does the college year look like. I have got to be very honest with people for clarity and for certainty even if it is an answer that we may not like to give. At level 3, at level 4 and level 5 of the reopening plan or the COVID plan the bulk of college will remain online. The reason I am saying that is after engaging with students, after engaging with unions, after engaging with university leaders it is important to provide that clarity for the reasons the Deputy outlines. People need to know what does January look like in as far as anyone can provide certainty with this awful virus. So level 3, level 4, level 5, the bulk of college lectures remain online. But what I have asked Deputy that our colleges do, and I am pleased they have agreed, is that they try and bring students in in small groups if they want to come in. I am particularly conscious of first-year students who last sat in a classroom in March, then through no fault of their own couldn't attend school, finished school without a leaving cert, eventually got themselves into college against a lot of odds and challenges, but maybe haven't set foot in a campus. I would like them to be invited in, to be inducted, to meet a few lecturers, to see what life in college will look like after COVID, so our universities are making arrangements for that to happen. In relation to student accommodation, I think I outlined to Deputy Conway Walsh, I am happy to outline to you that I have obviously asked that all college-owned campuses, college-owned accommodation, my apologies, that they would provide refunds and flexible options for students who cannot take up the accommodation. Some students have decided to take up their accommodation, because libraries are open, labs are open, sports facilities are back open, and I have also put in place a number of financial supports for students, including providing 17,000 laptops, you cannot tell a student to learn online and not provide them with resources, and the financial assistance payment that I have just outlined the details of in the last question. Thank you Minister, but I suppose the question still needs to be answered. Are students advised to go to college? You'll think they won't be allowed to go to college for the next semester, so what you're saying to parents is not to pay for student accommodation at this point in time, while we're in level 3. We want to make that clear to them because many parents had more income in 2019 than they had this year because of the coronavirus. No work or less work, no money or less money. So we need to be honest with them. But the question still remains as well, can you do anything for these families that paid from September to Christmas, which is nearly there, and can you do anything for them? Because after all, the colleges were only open for two days. Surely you should have known, before they went back at least, that the colleges weren't going to open. Minister? So I suppose, in fairness, I know what the deputy is trying to do, and I agree with it in terms of trying to provide certainty for people. So I suppose I'm not telling anybody not to take accommodation, because some students will decide to take the accommodation, use the library. Maybe they want to live in student accommodation, they want to live away from home, a variety of different reasons people come on to do different things. But what I am saying to people is what college life will look like at level three, four and five, which is where we are going to be, let's be honest, in the new year, in one of those levels, whilst we roll out vaccines and the likes, that it is likely that the bulk of lectures will take place online. What I said in relation to accommodation that is owned by the colleges, I expect rebates or refunds to be given in those circumstances. In relation to privately owned accommodation, I and my department do not have a lever to pull in that regard. I have put some arrangements in place to try and financially assist students in different ways. And one example I will give you is we have doubled the Student Assistance Fund. This is a fund that students who are on hard times can go to. There used to be €8 million in it, there is now €16 million, and that might be able to help a number of students facing challenging financial times. Deputy Hilly Wright. I suppose it is, like you say, it is kind of up to the parents whether they decide to pay or not. But it is likely that the colleges won't open, they will remain the same as they have since October to Christmas unless we go down to level 2 or level 1. And we need to be honest with these people because, as I said, especially Kerry, these parents and children and students are very far away from the colleges like Limerick, Galway, Cork, Waterford, and even Tralee, parts of Kerry is very far away from Tralee. So they need to know what is happening and you have clearly said here that under level 3 the colleges won't be opening. So the advice must be that they shouldn't pay unless they decide to pay themselves for accommodation. So I don't mean to be pedantic on it, I know what you're saying, but when you say they won't open, just in the interest of clarity, colleges are open, but I'm saying the lectures will take place online. And the reason I'm saying that is in March they weren't open, now they are open, the libraries are open, the sports facilities are open. You can go in in small groups, meet a lecturer, meet a tutor, have a tutorial, maybe debate a point. I want to see those things happen in the new year as well. Practical classes are taking place, so that is, I suppose, just a difference with earlier in the pandemic. I'm looking forward to coming to Kerry in January because, of course, on the 1st of January we will have our newest university in Ireland with the Munster Technological University opening its doors. And that will obviously be arising from IT Tralee and Cork IT coming together in an application. And I think this will be a very significant investment in higher education. I think it will have huge benefits for the southwest region of our country in terms of the skills that we need. Also providing people in Kerry and Cork with the opportunity to be educated within their county. And I think if you can keep young people in your county, I think that has to have a benefit. So I'm looking forward to being in Tralee in January.