Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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751. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is sufficient support in place to assist mature learners to attend further and higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53524/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to breaking down cost and other barriers, making Further Education and Training (FET) and Higher Education (HE) more accessible than ever before.

My Department provides direct financial supports to eligible learners.

In FET, courses are free or heavily subsidised. Learners in receipt of social welfare can transfer to a learner allowance when participating in certain courses. The rate depends on an individual’s social welfare payment. For example, a learner over 18 years old in receipt of Jobseekers' or Supplementary Welfare Allowances will transfer to an allowance of at least €244/week with additional payments for qualifying dependants. Those under 18 with no social welfare entitlement, may receive up to €45 per week. Learners with underlying social welfare entitlements may keep secondary benefits, such as medical cards. Supplementary allowances for food, travel or accommodation may also be available. Learners on Post Leaving Certificate courses will not receive training allowances but, if eligible, may qualify for SUSI maintenance grants of up to €7,586/year.

There are also non-financial supports in FET, aimed at supporting access for diverse learner groups. For example, there is a dedicated Adult Education Guidance and Information Service in each Education and Training Board (ETB). ETBs deliver courses in a variety of formats – hybrid, part-time, full-time, in the evenings, and at the weekends – so that learners can undertake courses and acquire certification at their own pace, around their work, family and other commitments and needs. Further, SOLAS’ eCollege offers flexible certified online learning.

In HE, the Student Grant Scheme provides financial support to eligible full-time students, based on prescribed criteria including nationality, residency, previous academic attainment, and means. In 2024, a new Part-Time Fee Scheme was introduced for eligible students on specified publicly funded undergraduate courses, offering greater flexibility. Students aged 23 or older on January 1 of their first course year, and not living with parents since the previous October, may be classified as independent. From September 2023, the required break for “second chance” students to reclassify as independent was reduced from five to three years, supporting mature student access under the National Access Plan.

In HE, the tuition fee payable by a student varies depending on factors including the type of course and the access route. In terms of tuition fee supports, first time students undertaking a full-time undergraduate course may be eligible to have their tuition fees, exclusive of the student contribution, paid on their behalf via the Free Fees Initiative. In addition, the State pays the student contribution (in full or part) on behalf of students who qualify under the student grant scheme as administered by SUSI.