Written Answers. - Student Support Schemes.
Bernard Allen
Question:
330
Mr. Allen
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if he has responded to the Union of Students of Ireland's letter which was received on 9 September 1999; and, if so, the response, if any, he gave to its call for investment in purpose built student housing, abolition of all college fees and the demand that maintenance grants be brought in line with social welfare payments over a three year period.
[20261/99]
In the letter referred to by the Deputy, the Union of Students in Ireland calls for a number of specific measures to be taken for third level students. These measures form part of the USI's 1999 pre-budget submission. I have previously outlined my response to the overall pre-budget submission and I have today issued a reply to USI's letter.
I agree wholeheartedly with the basic premise 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. This represents a major advance on previous funding levels. 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 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 clear priority. Third level enrolments this year will be in the region of 112,000 students as compared with an enrolment of under 100,000 in 1996. 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 have indicated previously, in relation to the student support schemes, that my priority is to remove anomalies in the schemes. 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 post leaving certificate courses was introduced with effect from the 1998-99 academic year.
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 among 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.
I would point out that I have, on a number of occasions over the last two years, met with USI to discuss the full range of issues of concern to them. I remain of the opinion that many of the specific proposals which they are promoting would do little or nothing to broaden access or improve the quality of third level education. In addition, to agree to the full range of proposals would involve a reduction in the allocations to primary and second level education, and the Government has made it clear that it will not adopt the policy of its predecessor of allowing school funding to suffer because of the prioritisation of third level. This said, we have very significantly expanded funding for third level over the past two years, by 19 per centversus the 1997 allocation, and will continue to ensure that we invest in expanding access and improving facilities.
