Vol. 532 No. 1
348 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Education and Science the grants available for a person who wishes to return to education, having been unemployed; if such a person is eligible to receive assistance towards payment for child care whilst carrying out studies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6435/01]
The Department of Education and Science funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and post-leaving certificate students, which are administered by the local authorities and vocational education committees.
Generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means and nationality. Students who are repeating a year at the same level are generally not eligible.
My Department also meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending full-time undergraduate courses which must generally be of at least two years duration, at approved colleges.
Apart from the maintenance grant schemes and the free fees provision, financial support is also available to third level students through the student assistance-access fund. The objectives of the fund are to assist students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. The fund is administered by the third level institutions and provides direct financial support to disadvantaged students to assist them to remain on in college to complete their studies.
These financial supports are available to all eligible students, including those who are returning to full-time education having been unemployed. However, while there is no specific provision towards the cost of child-care under the schemes of student support, consideration can be given to meeting such costs under the student assistance-access fund, at the discretion of the third level institutions.
The vocational training opportunity scheme operated by my Department, and the back to education allowance schemes, operated by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, enable adults over 21, who are at least six months unemployed, to return to full-time education while retaining a welfare payment or training allowance. The White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life, also proposes arrangements under which part-time adult education opportunities will be expanded and fee relief given to those who are unemployed, medical card holders, means-tested welfare recipients, or family income supplement recipients or their dependants.
Participants on VTOS availing of full-time further education may benefit from additional supports towards child care. Funds are paid by my Department to vocational education committees towards the cost of direct provision of crèches, purchase of places on existing commercial or community crèches, and payment of childminders, subject to tax compliance, registration as required with the health boards, a maximum of £50 per child per week for full sessional care, and pro-rata adjustments for part time sessions.
349 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has any proposals to alter the third level grants scheme to include students who wish to do a post-graduate course and are not living at home and require assistance to do this course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6436/01]
Students studying at postgraduate level may apply for financial assistance under the terms of the higher education grants scheme or, if appropriate, the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme. For 2000-01 the non-adjacent and adjacent rates of maintenance grant are £1,775 and £710 respectively.
A postgraduate grant holder is also eligible to have his or her fees paid up to a maximum amount of £3,064.
Last October, I amended the student support schemes to provide financial assistance to eligible candidates who already hold a postgraduate qualification and who wish to enter a further postgraduate course at a higher level, which represents progression from the level at which the first qualification was attained. This amendment is operative from the current academic year 2000-01.
Section 21 of the Finance Act 2000 provided for the introduction of tax relief for postgraduate fees paid in publicly funded colleges here and in other EU member states, as well as in private colleges in the State. This new relief, which is available for the tax year 2000-01 onwards, will apply at the standard rate of tax and will be available to full time and part time postgraduate students.
I announced late last year that I was setting up a special project team to carry out a comprehensive review of every aspect of the maintenance grants, and other student supports, to ensure their relevance to the needs of present day third level students. This review will include the level of grants, the methods by which they are paid, eligibility and income limits, accommodation needs, student support services, the most suitable paying agency, the provision of an appeals system, student loans and taxation measures.
