Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 2 Oct 2003

Vol. 571 No. 3

Written Answers. - Third Level Access.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

65 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science the total amount of money spent to date by his Department in implementing the recommendations made in the report of the action group on access to third level education; the recommendations implemented to date; if any timetable has been set for the implementation of the outstanding recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21512/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 149 of 10 June 2003. The action group's report was published in July 2001.

Department expenditure on third level access measures since 2001 has been as follows: 2001, €15.3 million; 2002, €23.98 million; 2003, €26 million – provisional.

The most significant spending recommendation of the report of the action group on access to third level education 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 a review early in 2002, I increased the annual income threshold for the special rates by 32%. For 2002-03, I also increased the special rate of grant to €4,000 for students residing more than 15 miles from college and to €1,600 for students residing within 15 miles of college. This was equivalent to a top-up of €1,490 and €596 respectively, for eligible students, on the ordinary maintenance grant. As a result of the review, it was expected that the number of students qualifying for the top-up grant in 2002-03 would double to 7,000 students. Recent figures show that this target was exceeded with approximately 8,000 students receiving the grant in 2002-03.

A new millennium partnership fund for disadvantage was introduced with effect from 2001. The fund provides assistance for partnership companies and community groups to develop their support schemes for students from disadvantaged families. Area Development Management, ADM, Limited, under whose aegis the partnerships operate, administered the fund for the 2001-02 academic year. The total allocation for the 2001-02 academic year was €1.2 million, with 37 partnerships and community groups receiving allocations. For 2002-03, I increased the provision for the fund to €2 million. ADM Limited, which is continuing to administer the fund, made allocations to 50 area partnerships and community groups in respect of the 2002-03 academic year.

The report of the action group on access to third level education set out a co-ordinated framework of actions required to improve equity of access to third level. The group considered that a single co-ordinating body was essential in order to realise the framework. Accordingly, a key recommendation of the group was that a national office for equity of access to higher education be established to ensure the effective implementation of many of the recommendations in the report.

I have given approval for the establishment of that office, within the Higher Education Authority. A number of senior staff have been recruited and I expect the office to be fully operational in the near future. I anticipate that the national office will facilitate the aim of increasing third level access by the three target groups, in partnership with my Department, the third level institutions and other stakeholders and agencies.

Some of the action group's recommendations relate to the achieving of targets for access to third level education, over the period of the national development plan, in relation to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, mature students and students with a disability. I am committed to progressing these and other recommendations in the report of the action group on access to third level education and to ensuring that the issue of equity of access to third level education remains a priority during my tenure of office as Minister for Education and Science.

The Deputy will be aware of my announcement, on 25 May 2003, of 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 third level 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, firstly a new part maintenance, 75%, and full fees level, and, second, an upgrading of the full fees only income limit to become a part maintenance (25%) and full fees entitlement Also, 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 also 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.

I believe that 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.