Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 6

Written Answers. - Mature Students.

Michael Ring

Question:

399 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will reduce the age guideline of 23 years to qualify as a mature student in view of the fact many students of younger ages have families or children of their own or live away from home, are financially independent from their parents and would be considered as mature except for grant purposes; and the way in which this anomaly can be addressed. [23542/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin):

The higher education grant schemes operate under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. These Acts define a mature student to mean a person "of not less than 23 years of age, or such other age as may stand specified for the time being in regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, who have secured places in approved institutions and have reached that age on the 1st day of January, or such other date as may be prescribed from time to time by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, in the year of entry to such institutions". The Acts further provide, inter alia, for the making of grants to mature students whose means and those of their parents, where the mature students are dependent on their parents, and the means of their spouses, if any, do not exceed prescribed limits.

Under the terms of the higher education grants schemes, mature students are categorised as either independent mature students or mature students dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined to mean a mature student who was not ordinarily resident at home with his or her parents from the October preceding their entry to an approved course. Independent mature students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address.

When assessing the means of students other that mature students, the Acts specify that the students' means and those of their parents or guardians must be below a prescribed limit. This provision requires that parental income be taken into account irrespective of the individual circumstances in any case where the student is not a mature student.

The other student support schemes have similar provisions in relation to the means assessment of students.

I appreciate the difficulties that these provisions can give rise to in individual cases and I have asked my Department to examine the issues concerned.