Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I congratulate them on their magnificent victory.

The Bill gives us all an opportunity to discuss in-depth student grants, the role of students in society and the issue of the modern student compared to the student of 20 years ago and to consider in detail their views and concerns, to which many of my colleagues referred. We must also consider the changing role of students and the changing nature of education, particularly at third level.

I welcome the major improvements in first, second and third level education in recent years. However, we must keep our eye on the ball to ensure that students at all levels are given a right to education and that finances do not get in the way. It is very important we do not go down the road taken by other countries where students must pay huge sums for education. Every Member of the Oireachtas must remain focused on this issue.

We recently witnessed a great day for students with disabilities when a group of adult students with intellectual disabilities graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. This is how far we have travelled in recent years and it is important to recognise we have moved in the right direction. While we need to do more, the work has begun. As an Independent Member of the Oireachtas, I will ensure the issues affecting students and education are looked after in the next couple of years.

The purpose of the Bill is to provide for a unified grant payment scheme. Such a unified scheme would replace the four existing schemes. The Bill aims to place all student support schemes on a statutory footing for the first time. It provides for awarding authorities to administer student grants in line with the provisions of the Bill and any regulations that may be issued thereunder by the Minister for Education and Science, with the agreement as necessary of the Minister for Finance. Decisions of awarding authorities are subject to a right of appeal to an appeals officer in the first instance and then to an independent appeals board, which is important. The Bill also provides for the making of grants to enable people to attend higher and further education courses. It will provide for the processing of grant applications through awarding authorities and will permit appeals against their decisions to an appeals officer and subsequently to an independent appeals board.

The most important point is that it will enable people to attend higher and further education courses. When one deals with education, one deals with the broader issues of society and tackles issues such as disadvantage and poverty. A person with an education gets a better chance in life, which we must all accept, defend and protect. This country has a long history of introducing radical changes in education, whether with regard to free education at second level, free fees at third level or Breaking the Cycle, which tackled educational disadvantage and to which Deputy Michael D. Higgins referred with respect to the period he was in power. These issues must be dealt with. Let us look at the details, particularly of section 2. The explanatory memorandum states:

Section 2 is the Interpretation clause and defines common terms used in the Bill. It defines 'awarding authority' to be a Vocational Education Committee. In assessing a person's means, account is taken of the number of dependants they may have, and accordingly a definition of dependant is included in the Bill. The definition of the term "grant" covers maintenance and fee grants.

This is important in the legislation. It also states: "Section 3 provides for the expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of the Act to be paid out of monies provided by the Oireachtas." That is something we must do also.

I referred previously to students with disabilities and we all have a duty to ensure they get the maximum support. The way forward is to identify and support their needs at a very young age so they can go through first level and second level, and I hope many of them will get to third level. This is important. I welcome the extra €50 million provided in the budget for disability services. This was another investment. These are issues I raised in my agreement with the Taoiseach. I especially welcome the provision of an extra €18 million for special education services, which is a major investment for people, particularly students, with special needs. I accept some of the criticism and I agree that more must be done.

Many students have health issues. When I campaigned for cystic fibrosis services I met a group of students who have cystic fibrosis and are attending third level colleges. I was struck by their dignity and courage and their ambition to get on in spite of their health problems. I welcome the fact that we are beginning to move in this direction following a long debate. I also welcome the provision of €2.5 million for Beaumont Hospital. We need to finalise the dedicated unit at St. Vincent's hospital which will provide individual rooms for cystic fibrosis patients. I have been asked to push this agenda by students with cystic fibrosis. These are important issues.

I raised the issue of students in my agreement with the Taoiseach. I welcome the fact that, as per section 7 of my agreement, we will have 4,000 extra teachers in the next five years to meet the democratic demands to reduce class sizes. We will also see significant improvements in special education and more supports will be provided to tackle educational disadvantage——

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