Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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42. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on the plans to enhance disability supports for students at further and higher education centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8725/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I published the fourth National Access Plan to Higher Education in August 2022. The plan aligns with and builds on the wider ambitions of the Programme for Government to provide accessible, affordable education to all citizens.

The plan identifies students with a disability including students with an intellectual disability as groups who are underrepresented in Higher Education. Since the launch of the plan I have made a number of key improvements including:-

• Providing €3m of funding to support universal design in higher educations with projects currently ongoing.
• Increasing the Fund for Students with a disability by 5% for 2024 bringing funding available to over €8millon.
• I have recently provided funding to 10 Higher Education Institutions who will provide courses for students with an intellectual disability across the country over the next 3 years. Course provision is due to commence in September 2024.
• On the 9th February I announced a further €1.8 million to support inclusion measures. Part of this funding will be prioritised to progress recommendations made by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism such as the roll out of sensory maps of college campuses. Some of the funding will also allow further Universal Design measures.

Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the Further Education and Training Strategy (FET) 2020-2024 is built. The FET sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals with the aim of enabling every citizen, including those facing marginalisation and disadvantage, to participate fully in society.

SOLAS, working closely with the Department, has established multi-annual strategic performance agreements with the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs). ETBs are measured on their performance across 12 National targets including ‘Widening Participation’ of marginalised groups in their provision. The specific target groups are:

• Travellers;

• Roma;

• Persons with a Disability;

• Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

As of end November 2023, there were 21,826 learners from these marginalised groups on FET programmes including those with a disability.