Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the provision being made for school leavers with significant intellectual disability to continue their education in third level centres in the Health Service Executive west area supported by the appropriate statutory partners; in view of the Government's commitment to inclusion of people with disabilities and its obligation through the Disability Act 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41871/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The participation rate of students with a disability in third level education has improved significantly over the past ten years. In 1994, there were just 400 students with a disability in the sector (about 0.5% of full-time undergraduates), while recent indications from the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) are that there are now over 2,700 students with a disability in higher education (about 2.4% of full-time undergraduates). Key measures which have contributed to this increase in participation have been the allocation by my Department through the HEA of dedicated strategic and core funding for the development of access and disability support services to higher education institutions. In addition, funding is allocated to a range of student supports and services through the Fund for Students with a Disability. In 2005/6, €1,631,979 was allocated to 408 students with a disability in 10 third level institutions in the HSE West area.

Figures from the National Office for Equity of Access to Third Level Education and AHEAD indicate that, on average, over half (52%) of all students with a disability in higher education have a specific learning disability (for example, dyslexia), about 16% of students have a mobility disability, 8% have mental health difficulties, 7% are deaf or hard of hearing, 5% are blind or visually impaired and 12% have other disabilities, including, I understand, a small number of students with intellectual disabilities.

Support structures across the education system, in particular systems of needs assessment and educational planning, are also being progressed by the National Council for Special Education, which was established on a statutory basis following the enactment of the Education for Persons with Special Needs Act 2004. The plan of work of the NCSE will ensure that the needs of young people with a disability in primary and secondary education are being met from the very earliest stages of their education. Under the Disability Act, 2005, the Council, in conjunction with the Health Service Executive, has a key role in supporting young people and adults with a disability in progressing their studies beyond school into further and higher education, the legislation also places important obligations on education providers in accommodating the needs of students with a disability. With improved systems of assessment and support for students in first and second level education, combined with the continuity of support provided for under the Disability Act 2005, I am confident that we will see more students with a disability, including those with an intellectual disability, progressing to further and higher education in the years to come.