Vol. 499 No. 4
156 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Education and Science if post-leaving certificate maintenance grant payments have been issued to approved applicants through vocational education committees; if he has satisfied himself that each VEC has uniformly expedited these administrative payments; and when a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will be paid this grant. [2874/99]
The arrangements for the payment of grants under the maintenance grant scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate courses are a matter for the vocational education committees, which are entrusted with the administration of the scheme. I understand that to date all vocational education committees have made their first payment of grants to eligible PLC students whose applications have been processed. The first payments being made are retrospective to September, 1998 with subsequent payments being made on a monthly basis.
The student in question has been awarded the full non-adjacent grant under the post-leaving certificate maintenance grant scheme by County Wexford VEC. As the PLC centre she is attending is in the City of Dublin VEC administrative area she will receive payment from the CDVEC in their next round of payments which, I understand, is scheduled for the end of February.
