Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have just one question as many of my questions have already been asked. I wish to ask about flexibility of delivery. We have a system whereby free fees are available for full-time undergraduate courses but no maintenance grants, as already mentioned, for postgraduates and part-time courses, so we have a very divided system compared with other countries which have much more flexibility. The system should be neutral to allow persons complete the undergraduate course by day or night and irrespective of how long it takes to complete it. If someone with a family is returning to education while working part-time, a course that may take four years full-time to complete could take six years on a more flexible system, but it might be the only way that person can get an undergraduate degree. The current system precludes that in terms of funding. Is that issue being looked at?