Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether financial assistance is available for students from the lowest-income households who qualify for the disabled student allowance to help with the £200 required to access specialist equipment.

Students from the lowest-income households who started their courses this year have access to the largest ever amounts of cash-in-hand support for their living costs. Students from lower income households are eligible to receive the maximum amount of maintenance loan available in addition to Disabled Students’ Allowances. Some higher education providers may help students to meet the £200 contribution, but that is at the provider’s discretion.