Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I get the Minister's point that they are private colleges but the students attending them may not have resources. They may have tried to get into the State colleges. Oftentimes, they are mature students who are changing direction and changing career and whose caighdeán Gaeilge may rely on what they learned in their school days under the old curriculum we all went through, which was less solúbtha. I understand the financial pressures but some sort of scheme must be developed, perhaps in co-operation with Springboard, particularly for mature students who have had to give up work to go back to do teaching and for whom Gaeilge is a particular challenge. Toisc nach bhfuil deontais ann, b'fhéidir nach mbeidh siad in ann páirt a ghlacadh ar na cúrsaí.