Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Of course, we should of course provide to students with disabilities the support they need. However, this should not be done at the expense of those who are experiencing serious financial hardship of a kind that could, as the Minister acknowledged, lead to their dropping out of college. There is a need to ring-fence moneys for the student assistance fund and to ensure that said fund is not obliged to compete with that for students with disabilities. Such competition is incredibly unfair. I accept that the Minister is working within the limited resources available to her. In that context, I plead with her to seek further funding from the Minister for Finance.