Vol. 477 No. 7
99 Miss Coughlan asked the Minister for Education if she will provide for the payment of fees by her Department to students attending United Kingdom universities for courses funded by the United Kingdom Department of Health, particularly for courses in physiotherapy and radiography. [10211/97]
102 Miss Coughlan asked the Minister for Education if she will extend maintenance grants to United Kingdom universities for medicine, physical education, teacher training and pharmacy for the 1997-98 academic year. [10214/97]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 99 and 102 together.
The schemes of student support provided for the extension of means tested maintenance grants in the 1996-97 academic year to students following full-time undergraduate courses of at least two years duration in an EU member state. The course must be followed in a university or third level institution which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds. The following courses are excluded:
(i) Postgraduate courses
(ii) Courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine (which are subject to a Higher Education Authority quota on places) and teacher training including those leading to the award of Bachelor of Education (also subject to a quota).
(iii) Courses in Colleges of Further Education.
(iv) Courses in colleges akin to private commercial colleges in Ireland.
(v) Courses provided in colleges in Britain which are offered in a private commercial third level college in Ireland and which are validated by that British college.
Approved courses in pharmacy are eligible for student support. I have no plans to extend maintenance grants to the other courses referred to by the Deputy.
Under the extension to the scheme, students studying in other EU member states can qualify for a means tested maintenance grant. No grant is payable in respect of fees and I have no plans to extend the scheme to include grants in respect of fees.
