James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a very serious issue which I take on board. It is one I am keen to progress. It is governed by the national access plan for higher education 2022-28 which sets out the ambition for an inclusive and diverse higher education sector. An important component of that plan is its recognition and naming of additional priority groups which are considered marginalised or disadvantaged. This includes students who are carers. Many supports are provided which seek to address the struggles and challenges that arise. The principal financial support is the student grant scheme provided by my Department. The special rate of maintenance grant is the highest rate of maintenance grant available and is targeted at students most in need. I confirm that carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit are both eligible social welfare payments for that special rate of maintenance grant. In addition to carer’s allowance, the carer’s support grant and the domiciliary care allowance are classified as income disregards. These payments are not included when calculating reckonable income for the purposes of student grant eligibility. The student assistance fund is also available to students experiencing exceptional financial need. It is designed to support students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds with ongoing needs for financial support and to provide emergency financial assistance for other students.

My Department also recognises the need to offer support for more flexible forms of learning. Last year, a new part-time fee scheme for specified undergraduate courses was launched. The aim is to provide additional flexibility of course provision to students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged and may not, due to their particular circumstances, be in a position to study full time. My Department is committed to examining diverse and flexible pathways. Some include non-traditional options such as Springboard+ programmes, microcredits where you can take mini courses and stack them together to achieve particular qualifications and tertiary programmes where you can commence study in an FET college or institute closer to home with the option of progressing to a more traditional university setting in later years. These are all attempts to make it flexible and accommodate those who may struggle more to access traditional courses.

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