Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2021
148. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason students at higher education institutions (details supplied), who make up approximately 12% of the higher education student population in Ireland, are to be excluded from the public health free rapid antigen tests initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62030/21]
View answer149. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason that students studying on publicly funded Springboard programmes in private higher education institutions will be excluded from the free rapid antigen tests initiative while their fellow students on Springboard programmes in the public higher education institutions will be eligible to receive the tests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62031/21]
View answer150. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if consideration will be given to including students at higher education colleges that are members of an association (details supplied) in the public health free rapid antigen tests initiative in view of the contributions by the students to the Exchequer; if not, if separate funding will be made available to those students for this once off public health initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62032/21]
View answer151. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if consideration will be given to the inclusion of students at higher education institutions that are members of an association (details supplied) in the public health free rapid antigen tests initiative in view of these institutions releasing their students to ease the staffing crisis in public primary schools and in early years settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62033/21]
View answer152. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason students at higher education institutions that are members of an association (details supplied) are to be excluded from the public health free rapid antigen tests given the Exchequer is providing free rapid antigen testing to international and European Union students studying in publicly funded higher education institutions who may never pay into the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62034/21]
View answer154. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the funding of €9 million allocated to higher education institutions for antigen tests will be increased to ensure the expansion of the initiative to include students in private colleges and will not mean a corresponding reduction in the amount received by public institutions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62395/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 148 to 152, inclusive, and 154 together.
The intention of Government is to strengthen the prevention and intervention measures around COVID-19 in response to the changing context. My Department recognises the potential role of rapid antigen testing as one part of a package of surveillance and vigilance measures including self-monitoring and other public health measures.
Following public health advice to the sector from the Expert Advisory Group on Rapid Testing, advice which is published and available on the Department’s website, a once-off fund of €9m to provide rapid antigen testing kits to students in further and higher education has been announced by my Department.
The purpose of the fund is to encourage the use of antigen testing amongst students and will involve:
- Providing funding to institutions via the funding agencies to make a small number of antigen tests available free to students
- Respecting the autonomy and flexibility of institutions in deciding at institutional level how best to provide these tests to students as soon as practicable
- Developing a communications campaign for students to increase the awareness of rapid antigen testing and their appropriate use.
In response to the Deputy's query, the fund will be made available to further and higher education institutions through SOLAS and HEA, including to the private institutions represented by HECA, with approximately 20,000 students, to ensure that we promote the use of antigen testing amongst young people.
In terms of costs, at this time it is not possible to provide information in relation to allocations that will be paid to individual institutions or bodies at this time as the process to determine and allocate funds is ongoing. It is the intention that the funding allocation for HECA colleges will be aligned with the allocations to publicly funded providers and from within the ring-fenced allocation for antigen testing as part of the Department’s 2021 Covid allocation.
In addition to this once-off specific fund, the UniCov study continues in a number of universities.
