Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The thresholds have not changed. Obviously, greater participation in the labour force means that more people have an income, whether one is a single parent who works or a couple where both people work, and that has an effect. That is my reasoning behind the change.

Deputy Catherine Martin asked a number of questions. She asked what percentage of school leavers with a disability go to higher education. There are schemes available to support students with disabilities to gain access. It is one of the conversations that I had with the president of the University of Limerick. It is an ongoing conversation I also have had recently with presidents of institutes of technology in Galway, Sligo and Letterkenny, as to how we can get better in terms of access. I will forward the figure on the percentage of school leavers to the Deputy. I know that this area is still a challenge.