Vol. 446 No. 3
292 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Education if she will extend the grant for third level education to those students who are still attending college and who did not previously meet the separate attainment requirement but who were eligible under the means test in view of the hardship that many students are currently experiencing and the number of students who would be involved. [1968/94]
Since 1992 the appropriate scheme which governs the entitlement to a grant for students for the duration of their course is the scheme of the year in which they enter third-level education. Prior to that the appropriate scheme was that of the year of their leaving certificate results.
I do not propose to depart from the general practice which is that improvements in the schemes of student support are not applied retrospectively.
Information regarding the number of students involved is not available in my Department.
