Vol. 468 No. 4
470 Miss Coughlan asked the Minister for Education if she will provide financial support to Irish students who wish to study in the Open University, in particular in the payment of fees; if so, the cost involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15372/96]
The student support schemes apply only to approved full-time courses in recognised institutions. The free fees initiative applies to approved full-time undergraduate courses in institutions which are recognised for the purposes of student support and are part of the CAO entry system. Open University courses do not meet these requirements and students pursuing the courses are therefore not eligible for grant assistance. It is estimated that the annual fee costs of Irish students pursuing Open University courses is over £1 million. It has been necessary to adopt this approach to the student support arrangements because of overall resource constraints. I would hope that as resources become available it will be possible to provide greater Exchequer support for part-time undergraduate students. The tax relief provisions for certain part-time courses in the Finance Act, 1996 are a welcome step forward in this regard.
