Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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241. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the schemes he is running to promote access to third level education by lower socioeconomic groups, disabled students and mature students; the funding his Department has allocated to each in each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date; if any of the schemes are on a statutory footing or if they are initiatives by a body or institution of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14992/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides supports to facilitate greater levels of participation by students from lower socio-economic groups, mature students and students with disabilities. The principal support is provided for under the statutory based student grant scheme, which makes available means-tested financial assistance to students in further and higher education by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI).

Other targeted access supports include the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) and the Fund for students with Disabilities (FSD). The SAF and the FSD are components of the Third Level Access Measure (TLAM) co-financed by the European Social Fund and managed by the HEA on behalf of the Department. The HEA allocate funding to participating institutions to support students with a disability, mature students and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in third level education. Details on the amount allocated to participating institutions for eligible students over the past five academic years are attached.

Table 1: Funding allocated to institutions under the TLA Funding programmes