Vol. 545 No. 3
161 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether the age requirements for a mature student applying for a third level grant are too high; and his proposals to reduce the age requirement. [30272/01]
The higher education grant schemes operate under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. These Acts define a mature students as persons "of not less than 23 years of age, or such other age as may stand specified for the time being in regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, who have secured places in approved institutions and have reached that age on the first day of January, or such other date as may be prescribed from time to time by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, in the year of entry to such institutions".
The Acts further provide, inter alia, for the making of grants to mature students whose means and those of their parents, where the students are not independent mature students, do not exceed prescribed limits.
Any revision to the terms of the scheme, as outlined, would have to be considered in the light of available financial resources and other competing demands in the education sector. There are no plans at present to change the definition of a mature student in this regard.
