Vol. 523 No. 5
294 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will re-investigate the application for ESF maintenance grant in respect of the current academic year by a person (details supplied) in County Wexford who is attending Carlow Institute of Technology. [21608/00]
Under the terms of the third level student support schemes, a candidate's reckonable income for the purposes of the means test is his/her gross income from all sources and the gross income of his/her parents or guardians, where applicable, with certain specified social welfare and health board payments being exempt. When assessing income from self-employment or farming the amount assessed is the adjusted profit/loss for income tax purposes from all self-employment activities, both Irish and foreign, whether or not they are exempted or relieved from Irish income tax. Capital allowances and other capital related costs, such as interest on borrowings used to purchase fixed assets, are not deductible from the adjusted profit in computing reckonable income for grant purposes.
My Department has been in touch with Carlow vocational education committee, the body responsible for the assessment of means in this case, and it is understood that the reckonable income exceeded the income limits for the award of a grant in respect of the 1999-2000 academic year. Accordingly, the candidate to whom the Deputy refers was ineligible for grant assistance in respect of the 1999-2000 academic year.
The terms and conditions of the student support schemes are of general application and, accordingly, it is not possible to make exceptions in individual cases such as this.
For the 2000-2001 academic year, the reckonable income limit for a full maintenance grant under the student support schemes is £20,200. Candidates who do not qualify for a full maintenance grant may qualify for a part-maintenance grant – 50% – in respect of which the income limit is £21,400. Where two or more children, or the candidate's parent, are attending full-time approved third level courses the above income limits may be increased by £2,270 where there are two such children, by £4,540 for three such children and so on, by increments of £2,270.
