Vol. 568 No. 6
213 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress made towards the implementation of recommendation number 12 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the scope of maintenance grants and the free fees initiative should be extended to validated access courses; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17043/03]
214 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 14 of the Report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education that the scope of the schemes of maintenance grants and free fees should be extended to allow students in receipt of the special rate of maintenance grant to repeat a single year; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17044/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.
Under the terms of my Department's higher education grants schemes, an approved course means, inter alia, a full-time undergraduate course of not less that two years' duration pursued in an approved third level institution. A one-year access foundation course is not an approved course for the purpose of considering eligibility under the schemes or the free fees initiative.
I have no plans at present to extend the scope of the maintenance grant schemes or the free fees initiative to access courses or to allow for students in receipt of the special rate of maintenance grant to repeat a single year. However, I will keep the recommendations under review.
215 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 15 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that access courses be described as such only if successful completion confers eligibility, subject to faculty or school or department requirements, on a candidate offered a place; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17045/03]
216 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 16 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the institutions engage with the NQAI to introduce common validation of access courses enabling transferability; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17046/03]
217 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 17 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the institutions recognise certain NCEA-NCVA-FETAC awards, including in respect of certain courses pursued at PLC level and other programmes at an equivalent level as advised by the NQAI, for entry into higher education, including for entry to ab initio degree programmes; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17047/03]
218 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 18 of the report of the action group to third level education that the NQAI undertake an urgent review of existing progression routes and advise on the development of a framework to facilitate progression, including through the development of links between further and higher education institutions; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17048/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 to 218, inclusive, together.
Decisions on the awards which are acceptable for entry to higher education programmes are the responsibility, in the first instance, of higher education institutions. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, NQAI, is in the process of establishing an outline national framework of qualifications and has established its policy and procedures on access, transfer and progression. Providers whose programmes are validated by the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC, or the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, HETAC, or with authority delegated by either of the two councils to make awards themselves, are obliged to implement the procedures for access, transfer and progression established by the NQAI. This group of providers includes institutes of technology, other than the Dublin Institute of Technology, as well as FÁS, Teagasc, CERT and vocational education committees. In addition, the Dublin Institute of Technology is obliged to implement the procedures. The universities, while not obliged to implement them, must consider the procedures.
219 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 21 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the income limit for the special rate of maintenance grants should be increased to ensure that at least 7,000 students qualify initially, extending to at least 9,000 by 2006-07; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17049/03]
220 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 22 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the income limit for the special rate of maintenance grant be revised annually in line with increases in unemployment assistance and the full rate of qualified adult allowance; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17050/03]
221 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 23 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that for the purpose of the special rate of maintenance grant only, child dependant allowances payable should be excluded from the calculation of reckonable income; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17051/03]
222 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 24 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that his Department engage with the Department of Social and Family Affairs to ensure that the certification provided to students by the latter Department for the purpose of applying for the maintenance grants is fully comprehensive and meets the full information requirements of the standard and special schemes of maintenance grants; the discussions which have taken place between both Departments around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17052/03]
223 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 25 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that his Department implement an effective publicity and information campaign to ensure there is early awareness of the availability of both the standard and special schemes of maintenance grants, the way in which to apply for a grant and that application forms are made available at the same time as CAO application forms; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17053/03]
224 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 26 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the reckonable income limit for the special rate of maintenance grants be increased to 60% of average industrial earnings; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17054/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 219 to 224, inclusive, together.
The report of the action group on access to third level education was published in July 2001. The most significant spending recommendation of the report concerned the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students, commonly referred to as top-up grants. These recommendations were introduced, with retrospective effect, from the 2000-01 academic year.
Following the launch of the initiative, a commitment was given that the eligibility criteria for the special rates of maintenance grant would be reviewed with a view to extending eligibility and that a first step would be to assess the coverage and effectiveness of the initiative in its first year of operation. It was also indicated at that time that the scheme would be extended to ensure that additional, suitably qualifying mature students would benefit from the special rates of maintenance grant.
Early in 2002, a working group consisting of officials of local authorities and vocational education committees was established at my Department's request to inform the Department as to issues arising in the scheme's first year of operation. The review, which was carried out by Department officials, also had the benefit of input from the Department of Social and Family Affairs through the provision of statistical data and the presence of an official on the review group.
225 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress which has been made towards the implementation of recommendation number 27 of the report of the action group on access to third level education that the responsibility for means testing and payments functions relating to student maintenance grant schemes be transferred to the Department of Social and Family Affairs and that such means testing should include a capital test consistent with the existing means tests administered by that Department; the discussions which have taken place around the issue; and when he expects the recommendation to be implemented. [17055/03]
My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the higher education grants scheme, the vocational education committees' scholarships scheme, the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees, and the maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate courses. The higher education grants scheme is administered by local authorities. The other three schemes are administered by vocational education committees.
Given the nature of the student support schemes and the application, means testing and disbursement processes involved, officials of my Department are engaged in ongoing discussions with officials of the Department of Social and Family Affairs in relation to options for the future administration of the various student support schemes. Consideration has been given to a proposal that a transfer of responsibility for the operation of the maintenance grants schemes to a single agency or body, such as the Department of Social and Family Affairs, might be administratively more appropriate. This view has been endorsed by the Cromien report of October 2000 on the review of my Department's operations, systems and staffing needs and by the report of the action group on access to third level education which was published in July 2001.
