Written Answers. - Budget Proposals.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:
21
Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the elements of the pre-budget submission by the Union of Students in Ireland prioritised for funding in his discussions with the Department of Finance in advance of the budget and preparation of the estimates of expenditure for the coming year.
[20095/99]
Jim Mitchell
Question:
45
Mr. J. Mitchell
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if he has met the Union of Students in Ireland to discuss its proposals in relation to the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[20012/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 45 together.
While I have not met the USI in relation to its pre-budget submission, I have recently received a copy of its submission and I would like to say at the outset, that I agree wholeheartedly with the basic premise of the USI that investment in education has led to our current prosperity and that education is the key to maintaining that prosperity.
In 1999, this Government will invest over £2.8 billion on education, of which some £680 million is in respect of third level education, when capital and current investment is taken into account. Furthermore, this Government has made unprecedented investment in third level education by way of the public/private partnership fund for advanced research and the Education Technology Investment Fund which will develop technology education at all levels.
Specifically at third level, this Government has funded a major increase in the number of places in public colleges and that, as I have said previously, continues to be the priority. Third level enrolments this year will be in the region of 112,000 students as compared with an enrolment of under 61,000 a decade ago. Earlier this year I announced a major £75 million investment plan targeted at skills areas, where there is a high level of employment growth. This investment will provide an additional 5,400 places, predominantly in the engineering and computer hardware and software areas. The Government is determined that Ireland will maintain its place at the forefront of technological developments worldwide, and investment in education is the key to this. This £75 million investment plan is just the latest in a range of unprecedented investment programmes at all levels of the education system. The largest building programme in the history of Irish education is currently under way and at third level this is transforming campuses throughout the country.
I share the concerns of the USI in relation to the need to target disadvantaged students and students with disabilities and the Deputies will be aware of the specific funding initiatives I have announced in this regard. In particular, I have honoured the commitment in the programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium, to the introduction of equitable support for students attending post leaving certificate courses. A maintenance grants scheme for students attending PLC courses was introduced with effect from the 1998-99 academic year. The grants are means tested and the rates of grant, income limits and other eligibility criteria are similar to those, which apply to the third level student support schemes generally.
I have also addressed the position of mature students in general and independent mature students in particular, under the student support schemes. The rate of maintenance grant payable is determined by reference to the distance from the student's normal residence to the college which she or he is attending. In the case of independent mature students, their normal residence is taken as their address while in attendance at college. Accordingly, a large proportion of independent mature students only qualified for the lower adjacent rate of grant. With effect from the current academic year, all eligible mature students will qualify for the higher non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant at an estimated cost of £2.4 million over the next two years.
On the specific question of disadvantaged access, the third level colleges have developed initiatives to tackle the problem of access for the disadvantaged to third level education, through targeted funding provided to the universities by the Higher Education Authority and funding from within the overall financial allocations to the institutes of technology. These initiatives involve links with second level schools and local communities. I have announced a specific allocation of £3 million over two years to promote access to third level amongst students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including people with disabilities. My Department has had discussions with the access officers of the colleges, the Union of Students in Ireland, the Higher Education Authority and other interested bodies in relation to this funding and I hope to be in a position to finalise the arrangements for the funding in the near future. I have also provided a further £1.5 million over two years to address the issue of non-completion of courses and my Department is engaged in discussions with institutes of technology with regard to the measures for which this funding will be used.
On the issue of student accommodation, the Government has already introduced special tax incentives to encourage the provision of student rented residential accommodation in this year's Finance Act.
The question of future investment in education generally and third level education specifically is being considered and I am sure the Deputy will agree that this must be done in the context of competing priorities within all levels of education.
