John Browne
Question:162 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Education and Science if a mature student may supply a child dependency allowance form in order to satisfy conditions for a top-up grant. [22931/01]
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
The report of the action group on access to third level education makes detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students. The action group considered that the target group of those most in need could best be defined in terms of the child dependants of claimants of long-term welfare payments, in respect of whom continued child dependant allowance is being paid, by virtue of their being in full-time education, that is, child dependants in the age group 18 to 22.
The action group recommended that the special rates of maintenance grant should also be available to mature students, that is, students aged 23 and over, but subject to specific conditions, he or she must qualify for one of my Department's ordinary maintenance grants; total reckonable income, in the tax year to 5 April 2001, must not exceed £7,400, as at 1 April 2001, the applicant's spouse or partner must be in receipt of one of the specified social welfare payments and be in receipt of full rate qualified adult allowance, or similar entitlement, in respect of the applicant, or the applicant must be in receipt of one of the specified social welfare payments.
It is clear that, in order to target those most in need, the action group wished eligibility for the special rates of grant to be confined to students where family income comes from long-term social welfare payments or, alternatively, from specific schemes such as the community employment scheme.
The eligibility requirements for the special rates of maintenance grant will be reviewed on an ongoing basis with a view to extending eligibility. A first step will be to assess the coverage and effectiveness of the implementation of the special rates in this first year of operation.
Gerry Reynolds
Question:163 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Education and Science the proposals he has to change the higher education grant regulations. [22936/01]
The purpose of the higher education grants scheme is to assist eligible persons, pursuing full-time study, to attain one undergraduate degree and one postgraduate degree. This restriction stems from the objective of promoting equity of access opportunities for students for further and higher education.
Accordingly, under the terms of the higher education grants scheme funding is not extended to students pursuing a second qualification at the same level. However, there is provision for progression whereby a student may advance from certificate to diploma level and continue to receive grant assistance. Similarly, students progressing from a certificate or diploma to degree level may also continue to be funded.
In October 2000, I amended the student support schemes to provide for similar progression at postgraduate level. From the 2000-01 academic year, students 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, may continue to receive grant assistance.
The higher education grants scheme and the vocational education committees scholarships scheme also provide funding for eligible second chance students who, having attended but not successfully completed an approved course, are returning, following a break of at least five years, in order to pursue an approved course at the same level.