AQW 52450/22-27

Ms Sian Mulholland
Alliance Party
North Antrim

Tabled Date: 18/09/2026
Answered On Date: 07/10/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any assessment her Department has made of transport barriers, preventing disabled people from accessing further education, apprenticeships and skills training.

Answer:

My Department considered transport barriers and the needs of learners with disabilities as part of the wider 2023 Review of Further Education Student Support. The needs identified are being addressed through a range of financial and practical support available across further education and relevant skills programmes, including Home to College Transport, FE Grants, the Hardship Fund and travel assistance through Skills for Life and Work.

This work is complemented by my Department’s Review of Approach to Widening Participation in Higher Education, which considered barriers faced by under-represented groups, including disabled learners.

A Widening Participation Forum has been established to bring together stakeholders from across and beyond the education sector to guide an evidence-informed, approach to removing barriers.