Vol. 494 No. 4
442 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to abolish clause 7.6 in the application of a third level grant to allow students to pursue both a masters degree and a PhD in view of the fact that they are two different levels of qualification. [18581/98]
Clause 7 (6) of the higher education grants scheme states, inter alia, that grants shall not be paid to candidates who already hold a postgraduate qualification and are pursuing a second postgraduate qualification. Therefore a person, who holds a masters degree and is studying for a PhD degree, is ineligible to receive funding in respect of the second postgraduate qualification.
Due to the considerable cost involved, and the many competing demands, I have no plans to amend this provision of the higher education grants scheme at this time. However, I would point out to the Deputy that I have significantly increased the funding available for post-graduate research scholarships.
