John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As for the report on the barriers to accessing higher education for lone parents, there is much focus on this new measure, which is described as the cost of education allowance. That was cut in 2013. It is really only reinstating or reintroducing that and increasing it by €200. I think it was €300 at that stage. On listening to the witnesses, that may have been one key recommendation from that report, which we have not seen but which the officials have seen. It has gone back to a second draft. This report, when we eventually get it, may well be out of date if some of the key measures - that clearly was one of the key measures - are to reintroduce a cut that was made in 2013. The fear is that when we get this substantial long-awaited report that was committed to in the programme for Government, it will be out of date. I reiterate how important it is to get that as quickly as possible.