Vol. 486 No. 1
892 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to introduce measures to speed up the processing and payment of higher education grants by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1622/98]
It had been the practice to recoup the payments made by the local authorities under the higher education grants scheme on a preceding year basis. However, I obtained the necessary amount by way of a Supplementary Estimate in December, 1997 to bring the recoupment arrangements to a current year basis. Accordingly, my Department recouped local authorities their expenditure on the scheme for the financial year ended 31 December, 1997 in 1997. I took this approach to bring the practice into line with the provisions under the Local Authority (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992, and to alleviate cash flow shortages which the authorities had previously experienced.
In addition, my Department also made a payment to all local authorities in December, 1997 to enable them to issue the second instalment of maintenance grants for the 1997-98 academic year to students before the end of 1997. This approach was taken in response to difficulties being encountered by students at the beginning of each term and was intended to facilitate the alleviation of such problems.
I am confident that these measures have resulted in speeding up the payment of higher education grants by local authorities. Furthermore, as part of my ongoing review of the higher education grants scheme, I am considering the administrative arrangements for the scheme. As the Deputy will be aware, the report of the Advisory Committee on Third Level Student Support, which was published in February, 1995, found these arrangements to be fragmented, cumbersome and very confusing for grant applicants.
893 Mr. P. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will be entitled to grant assistance towards the cost of fees to enable him to take up veterinary studies in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1623/98]
With effect from the 1996-97 academic year, students undertaking approved full-time undergraduate courses of at least two years duration in another EU member state can apply for a means tested maintenance grant under the higher education grants scheme. The course must be followed in a university or third level institution which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds. Courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine and teacher training courses including those leading to the award of Bachelor of Education are not approved courses in this context. This extension only applied to maintenance grants and did not include any grant assistance towards tuition fees on any courses.
Furthermore, clause 7 (7) of the higher education grants scheme provides that grants are not payable to repeat students and students who are pursuing a second period of study at the same level of an approved course. Students who already hold an undergraduate degree or postgraduate qualification are not eligible for a grant while they are pursuing a second undergraduate degree or postgraduate qualification, as appropriate.
Accordingly, the student in question would not be entitled to grant assistance from my Department in respect of a course in veterinary studies in the United Kingdom.
894 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of students per local authority in receipt of higher education maintenance grants to attend college in Northern Ireland and Britain in the academic year 1997-98. [1624/98]
The information sought by the Deputy is not currently available as the statistical returns on the 1997-98 higher education grants scheme will not be collated by my Department until April, 1998 at the earliest.
I have asked my Department to provide the information sought to the Deputy when it is available.
895 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the dramatic drop of almost 20 per cent in the exchange rate of the punt vis-à-vis sterling and the effect on Irish students studying in Britain and Northern Ireland in receipt of maintenance grants; the plans, if any, he has to supplement grant aid for the students to help alleviate their serious financial crisis. [1625/98]
In 1996 the student support schemes were extended to provide maintenance grants to undergraduate students pursuing approved third level courses in other EU member states. Prior to this, grants were only payable to students who were pursuing approved courses in Northern Ireland. In this context and following discussions with the local authorities regarding the necessary arrangements, it was agreed that students pursuing approved courses in other EU member states (including Northern Ireland) would be paid the value of the grant in the currency of the country in which they were studying and that the value of the maintenance grant to be paid in all circumstances would be the Irish value converted to the currency of the country in which the student is pursuing his-her course. Previously, students studying in Northern Ireland were paid the amount of the grant in sterling, without reference to exchange rates.
While I appreciate that the current exchange rates do not favour grantholders who are studying in Britain or Northern Ireland, I believe that these arrangements are equitable and efficient. Furthermore, the Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to supplement grant aid for the students pursuing courses in the UK and Northern Ireland without giving rise to an anomalous inequity vis-à-vis students studying elsewhere in the EU.
