AQW 19264/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 21/05/2021
Answered On Date: 26/05/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any discussions she has had with Northern Ireland's universities regarding reimbursing halls of residence fees paid by students who had no face-to-face lectures during the tenancy and who didn’t use the accommodation.

Answer:

Earlier this year, I wrote to Northern Ireland’s universities and university colleges, on behalf of students, asking them to consider how they might support their students by engaging with private accommodation providers, as well as reviewing their own accommodation policies (where applicable) to ensure they are fair, transparent and have the best interests of students at heart.

Over the course of the pandemic, the universities have taken measures such as rental pauses and releasing students from accommodation contracts, in order to relieve some of the financial strains being experienced by students.

I subsequently secured an additional £37.7million from the Executive to fund a financial support package for higher education. This package includes £3.1million to compensate universities for lost income arising from rental pauses and releasing students from accommodation contracts.