Vol. 466 No. 6
119 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he has received further representations from the Union of Students in Ireland regarding correspondence (details supplied); the response, if any, he has made to this correspondence; if so, if he will provide Deputy Fitzgerald with the details of this response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12130/96]
125 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he has studied the details of correspondence (details supplied) from the Union of Students in Ireland regarding the removal of the £200 allocation to students whose parents are reliant on social welfare payments as part of the student summer jobs scheme; his views on the case being made by the students' union in this instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12132/96]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 119 and 125 together.
Correspondence dated 24 May 1996 has been received in my Department from the Union of Students in Ireland concerning the discontinuance of the £200 special allowance under this year's students summer jobs scheme. The primary reason for the decision to discontinue the payment of £200 to students whose parents are reliant on social welfare payments was to allow the maximum number of eligible students to avail of the scheme this year within the budget allocation of £10.2 million, which is £4 million more than the budget allocation of last year and £5.4 million more than the budget allocation of 1994. A reply on these lines is being issued to the Union of Students in Ireland.
