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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Nov 2001

Vol. 544 No. 2

Written Answers. - Student Support Schemes.

John Perry

Question:

154 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will make a statement on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the student top-up grant. [28400/01]

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 people on 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, namely, 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, him or herself, must be in receipt of one of the specified social welfare payments

It is clear that, 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.

Apart from the maintenance grants schemes and the free fees initiative, under which my Department meets the cost of tuition fees for eligible undergraduate students in approved institutions, financial support is also available to students, in approved third level institutions, through the student assistance-access fund. The objectives of the fund, which is ESF-aided, are to assist students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise, due to their finan cial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies.
The fund is administered on a discretionary and confidential basis by each third level institution and provides direct financial support to disadvantaged students to assist them to remain on in college. I increased significantly the provision for this fund from £1.296 million in 1999 to £1.964 million in 2000.
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