A compensation fund of €2.2 million has been announced for Gaeltacht families who provide accommodation to students attending Irish colleges during the summer months following the cancellation of summer courses.
The seasonal colleges – which provide Irish-speaking courses to thousands of secondary school students in Gaeltacht regions – will remain closed this year for the second-year running because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister of State Jack Chambers on Wednesday told the all-party Roghchoise na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta that he had agreed an increased compensation fund for affected families, who rely on hosting people attending summer colleges for part of their household income.
He told the Committee, chaired by Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Sinn Féin) that some 700 families would receive compensation under the fund but said the overall figure agreed was 20 per cent higher than in 2020. The per head payment for each student has increased from €4 to €5. The average payment will work out at just over €3,000 per family.
“It’s the second year in a row that the colleges have not been able to open,” Mr Chambers told the committee.
“After listening carefully to the representations, I understand the particular challenges that Gaeltacht communities face because Irish colleges cannot operate.
“This is a 20 per cent increase on the compensation fund that was paid in 2020.”
The announcement was welcomed by Galway West TD Catherine but she asked why no agreement had been reached to compensate the colleges themselves, and community halls, which have also been deprived of all income over the past two years.
“I do not understand why that money could not be paid,” she told Mr Chambers.
He replied that eight meetings had been held in the past few months and negotiations were continuing with Irish colleges and community halls in relation to their proposals for compensation. “I am hopeful that we can reach agreement in the coming weeks,” he said.
Irish colleges are located in the Irish-speaking areas in coastal counties from Donegal to Waterford and provide an important income source for areas that are geographically isolated and rely more on seasonal and tourist income.
