Vol. 553 No. 2
280 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 737 of 17 April 2002, his Department will refund the student registration and examination fee to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13033/02]
As previously outlined in the reply given by my predecessor, Deputy Woods, to Parliamentary Question No. 737 of 17 April 2002, the terms of the third level maintenance grant scheme for trainees, 2001, the TLT scheme, allow for the payment of registration fees up to €396 where a student qualifies for a maintenance grant by reference to the prescribed upper income limits. There is no provision within the terms of the existing scheme to allow for the refund of the registration charge where a student does not qualify for a maintenance grant and, accordingly, the student referred to by the Deputy is not eligible for grant assistance towards the cost of his registration fee.
The schemes of student support are reviewed by my Department annually and revised as necessary. The question of amending the terms of the TLT scheme to allow, subject to a prescribed upper income limit, for the payment of the registration fee in cases where a maintenance grant is not payable is being considered in the context of the review of the 2002 scheme.
