Vol. 524 No. 2
439 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will intervene and have a maintenance grant approved for a person (details supplied) in County Sligo in view of the financial pressure involved and the fact that access to third-level education is dependent on access to financial support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22245/00]
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.
My Department has been in contact with Sligo Vocational Education Committee, the body responsible for the assessment of means in this case, and it is understood that the reckonable income in this case exceeds the current income limits for the award of a grant in respect of the 2000-01 academic year. Accordingly, the candidate to whom the Deputy refers is ineligible for grant assistance in respect of the current 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.
