Press release
Ministers Humphreys and McGrath extend ‘Catherine’s Law’ to further remove barriers facing PhD students with disabilities
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, have formally signed Regulations that will remove barriers facing PhD students who are blind.
The measures mean that scholarship awards for PhD students will now be excluded from the means test for the Blind Pension.
There are approximately 1,000 people in receipt of the Blind Pension in Ireland.
Today’s measures have been introduced almost a year after Minister Humphreys and Minister McGrath formally put in place ‘Catherine’s Law’.
This law was named after PhD student Catherine Gallagher, who was in receipt of Disability Allowance.
As a result of the measures introduced in March, Catherine and other students could continue with their scholarships and still retain their Disability Allowance.
Minister Humphreys and Minister McGrath said that today’s regulations will mean that further barriers facing PhD students with disabilities are removed.
After signing the regulations, Minister Humphreys said:
“As a Government, we want to do everything we can to assist people with disabilities to further their education.
“I am therefore delighted, along with Minister McGrath, to extend the Regulations or, as they are now known, ‘Catherine’s Law’, to students who are in receipt of the Blind Pension.
“This was a measure negotiated as part of the Budget and will apply to people in receipt of the Blind Pension that have been awarded a scholarship or bursary to pursue a PhD.
“Removing barriers in our education system is vital and I am really pleased to announce this important step today.”
Welcoming the measures, Minister McGrath said:
“Catherine Gallagher has been inspirational in her advocacy for the rights of persons with a disability.
“It is always important that Government listens carefully to the real life experience of citizens and I am pleased that the issue that Catherine so diligently highlighted has been resolved and PhD students can continue with their scholarships while retaining their Disability Allowance.
“I’m also pleased that Minister Humphreys and I are implementing the measure agreed as part of the Budget that will extend ‘Catherine’s Law’ to PhD students in receipt of the Blind Pension.”
These Regulations follow on from those introduced last March when both Ministers introduced an income disregard for Disability Allowance recipients who are awarded a bursary, stipend or scholarship towards completing a PhD.
The disregard is subject to a limit of €20,000 per year and also applies where the PhD student receives more than one bursary. The disregard is available for up to four years.
Blind Pension is a means-tested payment paid to blind people and people with very low vision, aged 18 and up to the age of 66 who are habitually resident in the State.
There are approximately 1,000 people currently receiving Blind Pension.
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