Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for following me around and for her contribution. They are all very valid and serious issues she raised.

First, I was going to make the point that Catherine’s Law was an example. The Deputy knows Catherine Gallagher and I have met her as well when I went to pay tribute to her. It is an example of how joined-up thinking and a bit of common sense is needed and can be put in place. I know there are other areas where Ms Gallagher and others are advocating for change. I give a commitment to this committee to work closely with the Minister and the Department of Social Protection. We are working with them closely on the national access plan, which perhaps brings me to the next point.

I apologise, not to pre-empt Government’s consideration, but I expect the national access plan will place a focus on all programmes and all stages. Again, that will be a welcome shift in terms of recognising that when we talk about access, one can flash oneself with statistics if it is very broad, but we want access across all of the range of programmes and levels throughout higher education. There will be a focus on that. Truthfully, there probably has not been as much of a focus on that as there has been in the past.

I am engaging with a very good group of students from Trinity College. I mentioned Dr. Vivian Rath and I know the Deputy engaged with him as well. They did a recent survey of their members, which, as the Deputy rightly said, is a small number, but that is not to take from the issues. It is very good we are beginning to engage. They identified many additional barriers they felt students with a disability at postgraduate level were facing. I met them last on 20 April and I am due to meet them again in the autumn ahead of the budget to see if we can progress. The figures I have here show me that disabled postgraduate students represent about 2.4% of the total postgraduate population. I talked about the cliff edge earlier. Getting this right is so important because we do not want there to be a cliff edge. We want people to be able to go right through and right up the qualifications framework. I am finding the postgraduate consultative committee very helpful in that regard.

On the important issue the Deputy raised on PAs working in further education and their terms of employment, I will not bluff, because I do not have the information here. However, I undertake to get the Deputy the information and engage with her on this and with its representatives, if required, as well. We will come back to her directly on that.