To ask the Minister for the Economy what steps she is taking to support and help students that are unable to meet full rent costs and are trapped in accommodation contracts.

While my Department is responsible for higher education policy in relation to teaching and research in Northern Ireland, as autonomous institutions, universities are ultimately responsible for their own policies in relation to student accommodation. This includes setting the cost and also ensuring there are robust protocols in place to minimise the spread of Covid 19. My Department has no role or legal basis to intervene regarding student accommodation, whether that is for university-managed Halls of Residence or private rental.

However, any students experiencing financial hardship should first of all ensure that they have applied online at www.studentfinanceni.co.uk for all the financial assistance to which they may be entitled. My Department delivers financial support to eligible Northern Ireland students through Student Finance NI, and by the end of November 2020 had provided £84m in maintenance loans and a further £37m in maintenance grants as a contribution towards students’ living costs during the academic year, including the cost of accommodation

Students who continue to find themselves in genuine financial hardship should contact their University to see if they are eligible for a hardship payment. These payments are funded through my Department and managed on my behalf by the universities, and in the 2020/21 financial year I have doubled the total amount of funding available for them from £2.8m to £5.6m in recognition of the economic conditions cause by the pandemic.