To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister whether their Department has had any engagement with the Department for the Economy in support of expanding the £500 Covid Disruption Payment to students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, but studying elsewhere.

Financial support available for students is a matter for Department of Economy. The Executive made decisions on COVID-19 funding on the basis of proposals by the Minister of Finance reflecting bids submitted by departments for their respective needs.

The Covid Disruption Payment was available to full time publicly funded Higher Education Institutions and full-time Higher Education students at the Further Education Colleges studying here who were enrolled in February 2021. The payments were in recognition of the disruption suffered by students to their studies due to the impact of Covid-19, and these payments have already rolled out to students. Students from here who are studying at an institution in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland may have been eligible for support schemes provided by the respective administrations.

On 22 June 2021, the University of Ulster and the Queen’s University of Belfast announced that in addition to the Covid Disruption Payment, they will provide students attending their Universities with an additional £495 payment. This payment will be based on household income and will be issued to approximately 9,000 students. The payment is made possible by the Department for the Economy's financial support package in recognition of the significant challenges faced by university students during the pandemic

Further details on support for students can be found on nidirect - https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-students-higher-education