Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Oct 1991

Vol. 411 No. 1

Written Answers. - Third Level Grants.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

621 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education the number of students who qualified for third level grants on entering third level education from either a local authority or a VEC, excluding ESF grants in September 1990; the number in each category who were (a) the children of PAYE tax payers and (b) whose parents were self-employed or in receipt of any other type of income; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Mrs. O'Rourke)

The number of students who qualified for the new award of higher education grants and VEC scholarships in the 1990-91 academic year was 4,775.

The other information requested by the Deputy is not available from my Department's records. However, the estimated distribution of grant/VEC scholarship holders, new awards and renewals, by socio-economic group in 1990-91 is below.

Social Group	Socio-economic group
1.	Farmers, farmers relatives	4,907
2.	Other agricultural occupations and fishermen	141
3.	Higher professional	269
4.	Lower professional	724
5.	Employers and managers	1,303
6.	Salaried employees	574
7.	Intermediate non-manual workers	1,370
8.	Other non-manual workers	1,169
9.	Skilled manual workers	1,887
10.	Semi-skilled manual workers	432
11.	Unskilled manual workers	423
12.	Unknown	1,606
	Total (1990-91)	14,808

Brian O'Shea

Question:

623 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education the measures she proposes to take to ensure the early and regularised payment of local authority third level grants; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

630 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the wide discrepancy in the date of payment by local authorities of education grants to students in third level education; the reasons this discrepancy exists which is as much as three months between Cork County Council and Clare County Council; the action, if any, she has taken to ensure that all payments will be made on the same day so as not to discriminate between students from different parts of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Mrs. O'Rourke)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 623 and 630 together.

Under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Act, 1968 the local authorities are statutorily entrusted with the administration of the grants scheme.

My Department write each year to all local authorities reminding them that the payment to students of the maintenance elements of grants should be made as early as possible in each term of the academic year. However, it should be noted that late payments by local authorities in many cases is due to insufficient details being provided by grant recipients to the individual authorities.