Mr. Somhairle Brennan:

Similar to Ms O'Connor, I am a psychology graduate and many of my peers have also upped and left. Chairman, you referred to the availability of occupational therapists in third level institutions. It is important to note when we talk about this that it is not an even playing field. Some institutions will have greater supports than others. I studied in the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, IADT, which is a very small college. It has resources to support students but it in no way has the same availability that UCC or Trinity College would have. When we discuss what is available in colleges it is important to remember that it is not equitable.

It is not a even playing field. Realistically, a student attending a service in a larger university or a technological university, TU, will have better access to these kinds of services than they would in a smaller institution. It comes back to the point I made previously that it cannot be a blanket approach. It needs to be tailored per institution, rather than just providing everyone with the same thing because it just will not land with the students in the same way.