Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The legislation will provide for the unification of the scheme. Obviously, it would not be appropriate to be too prescriptive in legislation as it would need to be amended each time one wanted to change limits, ages and so forth. It is not envisaged, therefore, that such issues will be part of the legislation. We are conscious, however, that times are changing and different needs must be addressed. The Higher Education Authority and National Office of Equity of Access to Higher Education are also examining this issue.

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