Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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46. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement the recommendations of the recent review of the fund for students with disabilities; and the timeframe for same. [51822/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Higher Education Authority (HEA) published the report of the Review of the Fund for Students with Disabilities on 27th October. The independent review of the Fund was conducted by RSM UK Consultants as part of the implementation of the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-19.

The purpose of the review was to evaluate the role of the Fund in supporting access and participation in higher education by students with disabilities. The overall finding of the review is that this Fund has played and continues to play a vital role in supporting the provision of services and supports enabling the participation of students with disabilities in higher and further education.  

This review finds that, since 2008, over €70 million has been allocated through the Fund thus enabling the participation of over 38,000 students with disabilities in further and higher education. The number of students supported by the Fund has grown from 3,800 in 2008 to almost 10,500 last year. €9.6 million will be allocated through the Fund in 2017.

The review makes fourteen recommendations including the need for a more robust model of allocation; the extension of the Fund to part-time students and, in the longer term, the transfer of the further education element of the Fund from the HEA to Solas.

A HEA implementation group will be established in the first quarter of 2018 to progress these recommendations.  The implementation of the recommendations will lead to improvements in the management and allocation of the Fund and support more students with disabilities in realising their potential through further and higher education.