Vol. 552 No. 2
154 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will examine the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15 to whom the local authority is reluctant to award a higher education grant; if his Department will ascertain if this is a correct interpretation of the rules of the scheme; and the way in which the scheme applies to persons in these circumstances. [12237/02]
The higher education grants scheme, operated by the local authorities under the aegis of my Department, offers financial support to eligible students attending approved third level courses. 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.
Under the nationality clause of the higher education grants scheme a candidate must hold EU nationality, have official refugee status or have been granted humanitarian leave to remain in the State. Candidates must meet the nationality requirement of the scheme at the time of entry or re-entry to an approved course.
Under the terms of the scheme re-entering means entering as a mature student following a break of at least one year and having previously attended an undergraduate or postgraduate course approved for the purposes of the higher education grant schemes.
My Department understands the student, to whom the Deputy refers, commenced her third level course in the 2001-2002 academic year but was not granted Irish citizenship until March 2002. Accordingly, she did not meet the nationality requirement of the 2001 higher education grant scheme at the time she commenced her course.
It is not open to me, or my Department, to depart from the terms of the schemes in individual cases. However, I have asked my officials to examine the issues arising in this case, in the context of its review of the maintenance grants schemes for the 2002-03 academic year.
