The regulations signed by social protection minister Heather Humphreys and public expenditure and reform minister Michael McGrath follow regulations introduced last March to exclude PhD scholarship awards from the means test for disability allowance.

Last year’s changes were made following representations by PhD student Catherine Gallacher, who was forced to choose between a €16,000 stipend for her studies at Dublin City University (DCU) and her continued receipt of disability benefits.

Around 1,000 people currently receive the blind pension, a means-tested payment paid to blind people and people with very low vision who are between the ages of 18 and 66.

Mrs Humphrey 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.”

Mr McGrath added: “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.”