Disabled Students’ Allowance

Baroness Walmsley Excerpts

Monday 30th June 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I have already alluded to the equality impact assessment, which will form part and parcel of the regulations that we will lay before Parliament in the autumn and which will be open to debate. The discussion, I am sure, will take place at that time, and I look forward to the noble Baroness’s contributions.

[Baroness Walmsley (LD)]

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that in order to make use of some of the assistive technology programs, one needs quite a high-functioning computer? Is any financial assistance going to be available to students who do not qualify for a computer to enable them to buy the standard of computer that they need in order to run the programs?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

My noble friend may well be aware that the focus on DSA expenditure will be on the most complex and acute needs. DSA expenditure generally has increased—from £87.8 million in 2009-10 to £125.1 million—so a review of DSA expenditure, as technology advances have been made, is long overdue; it has been 25 years since we last looked at it. Of course, we will look at each case, including specialist requirements and complex cases, and where it is established that a case is complex, students will be supported.