Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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51. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps his Department is taking to mitigate the penalties faced by young carers who may miss mandatory labs or exams due to care responsibilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25801/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous under the relevant legislation and the management of their academic affairs is a matter for individual institutions. It is my understanding that all HEIs have procedures under 'exceptional circumstances', and absences for mandatory assessments can be brought to the attention of the HEI for consideration.

The National Access Plan for Higher Education 2022-2028 sets out our ambition for an inclusive, diverse higher education sector. An important component of the Plan is its recognition and naming of additional ‘priority groups’, which are groups considered marginalised or disadvantaged, and this includes students who are carers.

The National Access Plan 2022-2028 (NAP) identifies three main groups; Students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, students with a disability and students from the Traveller and Roma Community.

The NAP recognises the Students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged may come from various backgrounds and a number of different life situations that can lead to disadvantage including Students who are carers.

Currently, there is no official data available to describe or track the educational attainment and progress of students who are carers. As a priority group, part of this NAP will be to consider ways to collect more reliable data on higher education students who are carers. This will form part of the remit of a new Access Data Plan which is due to be completed in 2025.

My Department also recognises the need to offer support for more flexible forms of learning and last year, a new Part-Time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses was introduced. The aim is to provide additional flexibility in respect of course provision to students who are socio-economically disadvantaged and who may not, due to their particular circumstances, be in a position to study full-time.