Vol. 547 No. 3
393 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason persons in receipt of back to education allowance are excluded from the list of eligible persons for the special rate of maintenance grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3426/02]
In September 2001, I announced the creation of an action group on access to third level education, to advise me on the development of a co-ordinated framework to promote access to third level education by students from disadvantaged backgrounds, mature students and students with disabilities. At the launch of the action group, I announced, as an initial step, pending the findings of the group, the introduction of special rates of maintenance grant payable to disadvantaged grant holders in 2001. In its report, which I launched in July 2001, the group set out detailed recommendations relating to the criteria to apply on the introduction of the 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 receiving 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 €9,396; and 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.
