To ask the Minister for the Economy what steps he is taking to ensure mature students with learning disabilities receive support and encouragement to access higher education.

I believe higher education opportunities should be available to all, regardless of social or economic background, including mature students with learning difficulties.

Widening participation in higher education continues to be a priority for my Department. We want to ensure that those most able but least likely can access and benefit from the higher education that is right for them. To facilitate this all HE providers are required to spend a minimum of 10% of additional fee income on widening participation activities.

The Department has identified specific target groups for widening participation, including students with disabilities and adult returners. Each year all higher education providers must produce a Widening Access and Participation Plan (WAPP) for Departmental approval detailing the support available to all targets groups. This support can take the form of bursaries or scholarships; however it also includes outreach and retention activities to support disadvantaged students in their journey into and through higher education.