Helen Keogh
Question:65 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Education the reason students in receipt of maintenance grants have experienced long delays; and if she will ensure that such delays do not recur next year. [17461/95]
Written Answers. - Maintenance Grants.
Delay in the payment of maintenance grants is a matter for the local authorities as under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Act, 1968, they are the bodies statutorily entrusted with the administration of higher education grants.
Where the Deputy is aware of specific incidents of delay in payment of grants she should refer therefore to the relevant local authority regarding the reasons for such delays.
Whereas there is a legal requirement that prior approval for the award and payment of higher education grants must be obtained from my Department, this is not a factor in these delays, as such approval is issued for the great majority of grant payments within a period of three or four days.
To facilitate local authorities in the early processing of grants my Department has in recent years issued the specimen student support schemes to local authorities/VECs at the end of April/early May.
I understand that of the 33 local authorities who administer higher education grants at least 28 have paid the first instalment of the maintenance grants for the 1995-96 academic year.