The details requested by the Deputy on the numbers of students housed in certain types of student accommodation are not collected or held by my Department.
The “Practical Guidance for Further and Higher Education for Returning to On-site Activity in 2020”, published by my Department in July contains some guidance for managing the risk of virus transmission in student accommodation settings. This was supplemented by “Implementation Guidelines for Public Health Measures in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)”, published in August, which were developed by public health experts from within the HEI sector and were endorsed by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) of the HSE.
Examples of the guidance provided include the provision of alternative accommodation for students who develop COVID-19 symptoms and need to self-isolate, and control of access to student accommodation, including restrictions on guests.
Ultimately however student accommodation providers are private entities and the exact measures put into place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be a matter for the individual provider. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous with regard to the management of their administrative affairs, including in relation to their on-campus accommodation, and it is not within my remit to issue instruction to private providers of student accommodation.
