asked the Minister for Education the measures, if any, he proposes to take to increase the number of students from lower income families who receive third level education, and university education in particular.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Students from Lower Income Families.
14.
There are a number of schemes under which grants and scholarships are made available to eligible students from the lower income families to assist them in pursuing courses of third level education. The higher education grants scheme is the appropriate scheme in the case of eligible students who enter on university courses.
As promised in paragraph 5.23 of the Government's national plan Building on Reality 1985-1987, the financial provisions of the higher educational grant and related schemes were updated in 1985 as follows: (a) the income eligibility limits for grants were increased by 11 per cent; (b) a tapering of eligibility limits was introduced so as to provide for the partial payment of fees, and (c) the maintenance elements of grants were increased by 16 per cent.
The income eligibility limits and maintenance element of grants will be increased in line with inflation in 1986 also. The lecture fee element of grants will be increased for the academic year 1986-87 in line with the increases in fees in that academic year. The middle level technician training programme, supported by the European Social Fund, provides for 12,000 places in regional technical colleges and colleges of technology. Those participating in this programme are not required to pay fees and the maintenance allowances payable are £464 per annum for those living at home while engaged in training or £1,160 per annum for those living away from home.
Would the Minister not accept that the grant and maintenance levels both for those living at home, and those living away from home who are attempting to attend third level college are so low that they are preventing large numbers of people on low income or on social welfare from availing of third level education?
I do not agree with the Deputy.
Can the Minister explain why there is a very clear imbalance in certain areas in relation to those attending third level education? An example is my own constituency where less than one-tenth of 1 per cent of students in a particular area are attending a third level college whereas about 24 per cent of the third level education students come from another area of Dublin.
I would like to see the low level of attendance in the Deputy's area increased. To suggest that it is due solely to financial constraints is hardly accurate. This would not be the appropriate place for me to indulge in some sort of socio-economic analysis as to the disparity between different parts of the city. I am sure there are many reasons. They will have the attention of sociologists and educationists. The reason cannot be exclusively financial.
Does the Minister not accept the estimate made by the students' union of one college which indicated that it can cost anything up to £2,400 a year for a student to attend a third level college? That is allowing for the fact that the student would get the full amount of grant and maintenance. The gap between the grant or maintenance and the cost is such that they cannot even think of going for third level education.
I cannot comment on the analysis done by the students' union or their conclusion because I have not seen it. The basis of their conclusion would depend on the validity of the facts on which they base that conclusion. It is very difficult to say that there is such a thing as an average cost for a student because so much depends on the individual. So many factors are involved that it is impossible to be definitive about an average cost. In regard to the specific point mentioned by the Deputy, as I have not seen the report from the students and the premises on which it is based I would not like to comment on it.
Accepting that a socio-economic criterion affects people attending third level colleges or those who may not attend those colleges, I cannot accept that a discrepancy of between one-tenth of 1 per cent in one area——
The Deputy is now making an argument. I am not suggesting that he is the only one that does this but making arguments at Question Time is not acceptable.
I am not trying to argue. I am trying to get the Minister to realise that the level of grants is totally inadequate to assist those in working class areas who want to attend third level colleges. They simply cannot afford it and the Minister does not seem to want to accept that.
I am not prepared to accept a generalisation as broad as that as being accurate.