Vol. 571 No. 1
650 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the additional funding which his Department has allocated to ADM for the millennium fund for educational disadvantage in the light of the fact that this fund has been expanded to include additional partnership boards; if he will give a commitment that there will be no cuts to the allocation provided to any partnership board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20834/03]
The millennium partnership fund for disadvantage is one of a number of access measures recommended in the 2001 report of the action group on access to third level education. Two other key recommendations were the establishment of a national office of equity of access to higher education and the introduction of special rates of maintenance, or top-up, grants. There have been significant developments in relation to both recommendations.
As the Deputy is aware, on 25 May I announced a package of measures costing €42 million in a full year to address the problem of disadvantage in third level education. The main provisions are: an increase of 15% in the maintenance grant, to give a maximum grant of €2,885 – this compares with €2,510 in 2002-03; significant increases in the reckonable income limits for purposes of the ordinary and special rates of grant; the introduction of a revised income limit scheme, to include the following threshold levels: (i) A new "part maintenance, 75% and full fees" and (ii) an upgrading of the "full fees only" income limit to become a "part maintenance, 25%, and full fees" entitlement; the top income limit has been increased from €36,897 to €40,000, ensuring that a significantly higher number of students from households with moderate incomes will not have to pay the student service charge; the higher, non-adjacent rate of the special rate of maintenance grant has been increased to €4,495 an amount equal to the maximum personal rate of social welfare unemployment assistance; the adjacent rate has been increased to €1,800. These increases represent top-ups on the ordinary grant of €1,610 and €645 respectively.
The action group report recommended an allocation of €1.27 million each year, for the millennium partnership fund, for the duration of the national development programme to 2006. This recommendation was implemented when the fund was introduced with effect from the 2001-02 academic year. However, for the 2002-03 academic year, I significantly increased the allocation to €2 million in recognition of the contribution being made by the partnerships and community groups to promoting participation from their areas in further and higher education. In the light of these developments and expenditure commitments, the provision of €2 million will continue to be made in respect of the millennium partnership fund for 2003.
The allocation of funding as between the various measures aimed at increasing access to third level education will, however, be kept under review within my Department.
651 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science the way in which he intends to distribute the additional ?47 million which he has allocated to educational disadvantage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20835/03]
On 25 May 2003, I was pleased to announce a new package of measures costing €42 million in a full year to further address and ameliorate the problems facing students from low to moderate income households in accessing further and higher education.
This package combines substantial improvements in the level and coverage of the maintenance grant for those on low to moderate incomes, with increases in the level of top-up grant for those who are most disadvantaged. The main provisions arising from the €42 million package are: an increase of 15% in the maintenance grant, to give a maximum grant of €2,885, benefiting, it is estimated, approximately 56,000 students; significant increases in the reckonable income limits and in the allowance by which the income limits may be increased for each dependant where two or more children are in further or higher education; the introduction of a revised income limit schema, to include the following threshold levels: (i) a new "part maintenance, 75%, and full fees" and (ii) an upgrading of the "full fees only" income limit to become a "part maintenance, 25%, and full fees" entitlement; the increases range from 9.5% to 16.3% and are well above the 7.6% normal reference increase in the average industrial wage; the top income limit has been increased from €36,897 to €40,000, ensuring that a significantly higher number of students from households with moderate incomes will not have to pay the student service charge; significant improvements have been effected in the special rates of maintenance grant, or top-up grants, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds; the higher, non-adjacent rate has been increased to €4,495 an amount equal to the maximum personal rate of social welfare unemployment assistance; the adjacent rate has been increased to €1,800; these increases represent top-ups on the ordinary grant of €1,610 and €645 respectively; the annual income threshold for the special rates of grant has been increased by 10.8% to €13,760.
This substantial package of measures will provide the opportunity, in an unprecedented manner, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their full potential in the education system.
