Vol. 497 No. 2
397 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that students who have completed a post leaving certificate course and paid fees to do a course are now excluded from availing of grant aid for a further post leaving certificate course; his view on whether this is fair to those students and their parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24670/98]
Under the terms of the European Social Fund Aided Maintenance Grants Scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate courses which issued last August, candidates who are entering approved PLC courses for the first time in the 1998-99 school year or who are already in attendance on an approved PLC course are eligible to apply for a maintenance grant. Initially candidates were deemed ineligible for grant assistance if they already held an NCVA level 2 or level 3 qualification, a third level qualification at national certificate, national diploma, degree, post-graduate or equivalent level. Subsequently it was decided, in line with the practice in the third level student support schemes, to allow for progression from NCVA level 2 courses to NCVA level 3 courses. Therefore anyone who has already completed an NCVA level 2 course and is now progressing to pursue a course at NCVA level 3 is eligible to apply for grant assistance under the maintenance grants scheme for post-leaving certificate courses.
I do not have any plans at present to remove the general restriction on student support schemes whereby students who have attained a certain qualification level are not grant aided for subsequent courses taken at the same qualification level.
I would also point out to the Deputy that there are no tuition fees payable by the students on approved post-leaving certificate courses.
