Vol. 555 No. 5
218 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 641 of 9 October 2002 and in view of additional information (details supplied) if he will review his decision in regard to the provision of grants for students pursuing a foundation course for mature students at Waterford Institute of Technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19159/02]
Under the terms of my Department's higher education grant schemes, an approved course means, inter alia, a full-time undergraduate course of not less than two years duration pursued in an approved third level institution. As previously outlined in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 641 of 9 October 2002, a one year access foundation course is not an approved course for the purpose of considering eligibility under the schemes.
The report of the action group on access to third level education recommended that the scope of the schemes of maintenance grants and of the free fees initiative should be extended to validated access courses. Implementation of this recommendation is a matter for consideration in the light of available financial resources and in the context of the student support schemes for the 2003-04 academic year.
