Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that Deputy Ó Murchú raises this issue with me on a regular basis and we have had good meetings and engagement on it, including with a group of personal assistants we met, who were largely, though not exclusively, from the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board. I am pleased that we received an extra €2 million in funding for students with disabilities in the budget. This will allow us to do more to support students with disabilities. That core part of supporting students with disabilities is the people who work with them. I do not want to get ahead of myself but in answer to a parliamentary question from the Deputy last night, I said I was looking to see if, as part of that, we can better support our personal assistants. A proper discussion on the role of personal assistants is key. Are there interim steps we can take? I am open to doing that and I look forward to having a follow-up meeting with the Deputy shortly.

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