Written Answers Nos. 676-695
676. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of social care and child protection practitioners in Tusla who function as supervisors to other staff; the average years of experience of each supervisor in Tusla; the number of staff members that each supervisor is responsible for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37571/22]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
677. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is satisfied that social care and child protection practitioners functioning as supervisors in Tusla have adequate length and breadth of experience themselves for the complexity and sensitivity of the supervisory role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37572/22]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
678. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the stated minimum length of service required to be appointed a social work, social care and child protection supervisor; the performance levels required for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37573/22]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
679. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average age of a social care and child protection practitioner in Tusla; the average number of cases or families dealt with in a year and at any one working period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37574/22]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
680. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children currently without a designated social worker in each age group and social work area in each year of the past five years by area and age group in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37575/22]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
I can confirm that the matter has been referred to Tusla, for direct reply to the Deputy.
681. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding that was allocated to an organisation (details supplied) in 2022; the breakdown of the use of that funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37610/22]
View answerThe total funding allocated to the organisation referred to by the Deputy is €1.4m
A breakdown of all funding allocated by the Youth Affairs Unit of my Department the organisation in 2022 is detailed in the below table.
|
Funding |
2022 |
|
YSGS base funding salaries: |
€1,087,561 |
|
YSGS Safeguarding funding: |
€218,198 |
|
YSGS Report Funding: |
€25,000* |
|
Youth Capital allocation: |
€44,564 |
|
Youth Climate Justice Fund allocation: |
€39,200 |
|
Total |
€1,414,523 |
*€75,000 was allocated in 2021 but only €50,000 was drawn down. The balance of €25,000 was made available again for drawdown in 2022.
682. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of adults and children in direct provision centres in County Wicklow, broken down by centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37664/22]
View answer683. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of adults and children remaining in direct provision centres in County Wicklow, broken down by centre, after their leave to remain has been granted for the most recent date available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37665/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 682 and 683 together.
As requested, Deputy, please see below the number of adults and children remaining in direct provision centres in County Wicklow, broken down by centre, after their leave to remain has been granted. Number are as at 07/07/22
|
Direct Provision Centre |
Adults |
Children |
|
Grand Hotel |
34 |
5 |
|
Esplanade |
83 |
18 |
|
Rathmore |
36 |
33 |
|
Total |
153 |
56 |
Please also see, as requested, the number of adults and children in direct provision centres in County Wicklow, broken down by centre as at 03/07/22.
|
Direct Provision Centre |
Adults |
Children |
|
The Grand Hotel |
154 |
19 |
|
Baltinglass Slaney Court Apartments |
19 |
29 |
|
Rathmore Country Holiday Village |
50 |
53 |
|
The Esplanade |
140 |
47 |
|
Royal Hotel Bray |
14 |
4 |
|
Total |
377 |
152 |
684. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the payment assistance that is available for relative foster carers; the criteria that they have to meet to avail of payments available to care for the children of their family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37679/22]
View answerSection 36 of the Child Care Act 1991 sets out the range of options where Tusla can place a child who is in care. One of these options is relative foster care, where the foster is a friend or relative of the child and who has been assessed and approved as a relative foster carer.
The Child Care (Placement of Children with Relatives) Regulations, 1995, stipulates that the allowance payable to relative foster carers shall not be less than an amount specified by the Minister.
Relative foster carers are paid a weekly allowance, which is a payment to meet the needs of the child in their care. The foster care allowance is currently €325 per week for a child under 12 years of age and €352 per week for a child aged 12 years and over.
It is paid in respect of the child and provided in order to allow relative foster carers to meet all of the child's daily living needs, including food, clothing, basic travel, education costs and hobbies and sports activities. The allowance is not considered as means for social welfare purposes, and is not subject to tax.
The foster care allowance is in respect of and for the benefit of the foster child and therefore must be used to meet the day to day costs associated with looking after the foster child.
If required, Tusla can also provide additional financial supports to relative foster carers through either additional or enhanced payments. In considering any additional payment or enhanced allowance the assessing social worker is required to evidence that the standard fostering allowance does not adequately provide for the cost of caring for the child.
Additional payments refers to any payment made to a foster carer that exceeds the standard rate of the fostering allowance. Enhanced allowances for relative foster carers can be made when a longer term financial need is identified for additional supports for the child.
Tusla does not differentiate between relative foster carers and general foster carers in relation to financial supports for children in foster care.
685. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current demand for places under the early childhood care and education scheme in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37701/22]
View answerAs outlined in the table below a total of 2,526 children at services in Cork City and a further 10,250 children at services in Cork County benefited from the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme (ECCE) in the 2021/2022 programme year - showing a slight increase on the previous programme year 2020/2021. The 2021/2022 programme year closed on 1 July and the 2022/2023 programme year will open on 22 August 2022.
Table 1: The number of unique children with an approved ECCE registration in Cork County and Cork City by Programme Year.
|
County Division |
ECCE 2020/21 |
ECCE 2021/22 |
|
Cork City |
2,500 |
2,526 |
|
County Cork |
10,105 |
10,250 |
|
Total Unique children * |
12,572 |
12,691 |
* Where a child has a registration in both Cork County and Cork City in the same programme year, they will be included in both county divisions, but only once in the total. This can be seen in 2020/21 for example where adding together Cork City and Cork County would give you a total of 12,605, however the total number of unique children across Cork is actually 12,572. This would indicate that there is a small number of children who had a registration in both city and county in 2020/21.
My Department, in conjunction with Pobal, reviews ECCE capacity on an ongoing basis and works closely with the local City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) in this regard.
In April of this year, City/County Childcare Committees (CCC) undertook a nationwide survey of capacity in early learning and childcare services. This survey was undertaken as part of the Action Plan put in place by my Department to respond to the early learning and childcare needs of Ukrainian children and their families. This survey was followed in May by the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey that is undertaken by Pobal. This will allow for more detailed information on capacity among early learning and childcare services to be gathered for the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Report.
Preliminary analysis of the latest data captured by CCCs and Pobal reveal a drop in vacancy rates across the country – with the national vacancy rate now averaging at 13%.
Furthermore, vacancy rate for ECCE only places for Cork city is 13% and ECCE only places Cork county 14%.
686. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 111 of 27 April 2022, the gross total spend to date by the International Protection Accommodation Services on privately owned accommodation as part of its response to the crisis in Ukraine. [37729/22]
View answerSince the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the temporary protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.
The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months. My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here.
To date, more than 40,000 people have arrived in Ireland and just in excess of 30,000 of those have been referred to us seeking accommodation from the State.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types have been contracted, including emergency accommodation. While this is not ideal, the priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation.
Numbers seeking international protection have also increased adding to accommodation capacity issues.
The Ukraine Crisis Temporary Accommodation Team (UCTAT) has contracted approximately 25,000 hotel rooms, with additional capacity also being pursued through different means including hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, accommodation pledged by the general public, religious properties, accommodation operated by voluntary organisations, and local authority facilities.
Total spend in this challenging environment is monitored in line with governance requirements. I can confirm to the Deputy that the amount spent to end June on Emergency Accommodation for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine is €101.3mn.
687. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a specialist speech and language therapist will be provided to a child with a diagnosis of ASD (details supplied) in the pre-school setting in order to assist with this child’s educational development; the further measures that will be taken to support their child through their early years in education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37800/22]
View answerThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high quality early learning and care. Eligibility for AIM supports is linked to participation in the universal ECCE pre-school programme.
AIM supports are grouped into universal or targeted. Universal supports are designed to create a more inclusive culture in early learning and care settings, through training courses and qualifications for staff. Where universal supports are not enough to meet the needs of an individual child, targeted supports are available to ensure the child can meaningfully participate in pre-school.
AIM Early Years Specialists are available to work with parents and pre-school providers to develop an inclusive learning environment for children. Applying for AIM educational advice and mentoring is very simple. Parents are advised to speak with their pre-school provider who will make an application for targeted supports in collaboration with the parent. The pre-school will submit this application to Better Start through the Early Years Hive portal on the parent’s behalf.
AIM level 6 provides a range of services in collaboration with the HSE under therapeutic supports. Targeted services are individualised and could include; behaviour support plans, classes, equipment, professional advice or pre-school visits. Supports may be provided through a Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT), HSE Disability Service, HSE funded Voluntary Organisation or HSE Primary Care Services.
The HSE offer speech and language therapy services, in the public health service, free of charge for children with a disability. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) will show parents ways to support their child’s communication or feeding skills. They assess the child’s needs, set short and long-term goals and link with other relevant services. For information on services in your area you can contact your Local Health Office. See list of Local Health Offices at the link below.
www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/lho/.
If a parent in partnership with the provider, submit an application for AIM support and in that application have stated that the child is already receiving supports from speech and language, the Early Years Specialist would link in with the relevant health professional. They would do this to identify what strategies/supports can be implemented in the pre-school setting by the educators.
AIM Level 7 support provides additional funding to pre-schools who have a child requiring extra support. Providers can use this funding either to reduce the adult-to-child ration in the pre-school room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the ECCE setting. This is all centred on supporting the pre-school leader to ensure the child’s optimal participation.
One of the commitments in First 5 was to undertake an end of Three-Year Evaluation of AIM. The evaluation is now complete and the final report is due to be published in Quarter 3 of this year. Subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, we will be considering enhancements to, and/or extension of, AIM to, for example, all ELC services, all school-age childcare services and to children with additional needs other than a disability. This will include consideration of issues raised with regard to children with ASD and potential measures to enhance provision.
The Department of Education also provides specialist pre-school services including autism-specific pre-school services for children who are ECCE eligible, which include:
- Early Intervention Classes attached to primary schools for autistic children aged three and over.
- A Home Tuition Scheme which provides funding towards 10 hours per week tuition for children under 3 years of age and 20 hours per week for children over 3 years of age who cannot secure a placement in an early intervention class. Subject to conditions, parents are free to use the grant to engage tutors to deliver tuition in their home or pre-school providers to deliver tuition in a group/pre-school setting. Such arrangements are essentially between the parents and the relevant provider.
More information is available at: www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-education/.
688. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the HSE has signed contracts or entered into any agreement with a private company (details supplied) to locate any Tusla services in its proposed facility in County Meath; if there have been any discussions between the company or any of its associated companies or agents to enter into an agreement with them in the delivery of health services in Meath. [37878/22]
View answerThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
689. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to a campaign by an organisation (details supplied) in relation to concerns regarding targeted funding for early childhood education and care and school age childcare services which is requesting him to take urgent action to address the failings of the current system and to listen to the front-line services that are struggling to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37917/22]
View answerMy Department is aware of the concerns raised and is considering the issues raised in the correspondence and will issue a response in due course. I will also be requesting that my officials meet with the corresponding organisation to discuss the matters further.
The review which the correspondent references noted the considerable success of the NCS in reaching those most in need. As the correspondent notes the review also reflects certain concerns particularly that it may present challenges for some families and for some providers serving disadvantaged communities.
It is however quite incorrect to say that "in November 2019 the targeted funding for disadvantage was closed to children". The NCS is designed to be highly inclusive and to meet the needs of those families who need it the most. The NCS is based on the principle of progressive universalism and has regard to the best interests of children.
The subsidies on the older schemes were grounded in medical card and social protection entitlements. It is a central policy component of the NCS to poverty proof and assist people in exiting the poverty traps, some of which were associated with the older ELC/SAC schemes. Both the older schemes and the NCS contained universal and targeted elements. As a point of fact the proportion of families on the targeted schemes vs universal on NCS is more favourable than on the older schemes.
By making this fundamental shift away from the legacy schemes where subsidies are grounded in medical card and social protection entitlements, and by tangibly reducing the cost of quality childcare for thousands of families, the NCS aims to improve children’s outcomes, improve labour market participation and reduce child poverty. It is a central policy component of the NCS to poverty proof. It also designed to assist people in exiting the poverty trap, elements of which were inherent in the legacy schemes.
My Department continues to consult extensively with stakeholders on the development of NCS, through the Partnership for the Public Good report and the 12 month review of the NCS. The reviews noted the considerable success of the NCS in reaching those most in need. However, the report also highlights the same issues raised in the correspondence, particularly that it may present challenges for some families and for some providers serving disadvantaged communities. Findings which I have already begun to act on in Budget 2022, specifically:
- An extension to the NCS universal subsidy to all children under 15 from September 2022, benefitting up to 40,000 children.
- An end to the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours from spring 2022, benefitting an estimated 5,000 children from low income families.
Core Funding will contribute to services’ sustainability and will significantly increase income for the overwhelming majority of services and provide greater funding stability. A number of safeguards have been put in place to ensure no unintended outcomes of Core Funding including a funding guarantee and a Sustainability Fund which is open to services.
Core Funding will give providers a stable income source based on the nature of the service they deliver. A provider’s income will now consist of Core Funding, NCS and ECCE subsidies, and parental fees. Structuring Core Funding primarily based on capacity means that services will have an allocation each year that will not fluctuate in line with children’s attendance.
Once Core Funding is embedded and changes to existing programmes take effect (ECCE and NCS), my Department will progress the development of the Tackling Disadvantage funding and support. Informed by recommendations in Partnership for the Public Good, services will be provided with a proportionate mix of universal and targeted supports to support children and families accessing their services who are experiencing disadvantage.
This Government agreed on 31 May to the publication of the National Action Plan and for its submission to the EU Commission. The publication of the Plan is an important first step in the implementation of the EU Child Guarantee which clearly intersects with the Tackling Disadvantage response. Identifying the most appropriate and effective structures to pursue the reforms necessary to improve outcomes for our most disadvantaged children and young people will be a particular focus of our work in the coming months, in order to progress matters.
690. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 49 of 6 July 2022 (details supplied), if he will provide details on the funding provided for the roll-out of the pilot programme involving site preparation and the acquisition and installation of modular units to house Ukrainian arrivals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38038/22]
View answerOn 26 June, the Government approved the proposal that 500 modular units would be built as part of its plans to address the need to expand the potential accommodation capacity for Ukrainian arrivals. Once in place, the modular houses will accommodate up to 2,000 people at urban locations across the country.
My Department is finalising the site selection, with support from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, drawing on publicly owned sites owned by Government Departments and Agencies or by Local Authorities. DCEDIY will be the client Department for the initiative and the OPW will be managing the roll-out of the pilot programme, involving site preparation as well as the acquisition and installation of modular units.
The OPW has drawn up the Project Plan that envisages the installation of the first modular units on site in early November 2022, with the final units being installed in 2023.
My Department will then take responsibility for ownership of the modular units and their future use.
The estimated cost of the purchase and installation of 500 modular Units, inclusive of site enabling works and transportation costs, is €100m. In addition there will be ongoing facilities management, maintenance and utilities costs, post-installation at an estimated cost of €1.25m from 2023 onwards. On the basis of the anticipated timeframe for delivery, an allocation of €70m for 2022 and €31.25m for 2023 will be required.
Further information on the roll out of the Modular Homes Programme will be provided shortly when the full details of the project plan for its delivery has been finalised.
691. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when the wards of courts system will be replaced with a system compliant with international human rights obligations. [38113/22]
View answerThe Government is committed to the abolition of wardship and to replacing it with a more person-centred and rights-based functional capacity model. The enactment of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022 will allow for the commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015.
The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) is a very important piece of legislation that changes the existing law on capacity from the status approach of the wardship system to a flexible and rights based functional approach, whereby capacity is assessed on an issue and time-specific basis and in a manner that explicitly respects the will and preference of the person being supported.
The Amendment Bill has been published and passed Dail Report Stage on 29 June. It will be introduced to the Seanad when the Houses resume in the autumn and will be progressed as quickly as possible in the autumn session. It is intended to have the Bill enacted, and the 2015 Act commenced, at the earliest possible opportunity.
Once the amended Act is commenced, the Decision Support Service will become fully operational. The Decision Support Service (DSS), which is the organisation that will operate the progressive provisions of the 2015 Act, will respond to the complex decision-making needs of people with capacity difficulties. The preparations of the Decision Support Service have gone well, and have been supported by an Inter-Departmental Steering Group. The DSS is in the process of finalising its own procedures for going live and will be ready to operate the progressive provisions of the new legislation when the legislation is commenced. The abolition of wardship will begin from that point. As the Deputy is aware, the wards of court system will end three years after the commencement of the relevant legislative provisions bringing the new system into effect.
692. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide his response to a letter from a United Nations official (details supplied) concerning the way that he represented that official’s remarks during the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages. [38114/22]
View answerI have received a letter from Professor Ruskus and a response to him is being prepared.
During the Report Stage debate on the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022, I referenced positive comments made by Professor Ruskus on Ireland’s legislation at the recent World Congress on Adult Capacity in Edinburgh.
Professor Ruskus has since clarified that his remarks in Edinburgh were not intended to refer specifically to compliance with Article 12 on equal recognition before the law. The contribution I made referred generally to Mr Ruskus’ positive assessment rather than specifically to compliance with Article 12.
I would take this opportunity to stress that this is an urgently needed legislative reform which will replace the archaic wards of court system with decision supports that will address the needs of vulnerable people with capacity difficulties.
693. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to an audit (details supplied) of the student code of conduct and free speech polices of a university which was conducted by a United States-based non-partisan organisation (details supplied); his views on the need to robustly protect freedom of speech and academic freedom in Irish universities and third level institutions and colleges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38052/22]
View answerThe principle of academic freedom is a defining characteristic of high-quality higher education and research throughout the world.
Irish higher education institutes are independent and autonomous statutory bodies established under the Universities Act 1997, Technological Universities Act 2018 and the Institutes of Technology Act 1992 to 2006. These acts guarantee the principle of academic freedom and puts in place detailed institutional level governance arrangements for the management, operation, policies and strategy of the relevant institution.
With regard to students, the acts include objects or functions which, inter alia, foster a capacity for independent critical thinking amongst its students and promote critical and free enquiry, informed intellectual discourse and public debate.
Ireland supports academic freedom and we encourage all of our partners around the world to respect such freedoms.
694. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will examine the reason that applicants who suffer from colour blindness cannot partake in apprenticeship courses; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that such applicants can partake in courses across other European Union countries and in Northern Ireland; and if he plans to resolve the matter. [36979/22]
View answerMy Department's officials have engaged with SOLAS on this issue and have been informed that currently, a SOLAS statutory apprenticeship requires that in certain designated crafts, apprenticeship applicants must pass the Ishihara colour vision test.
SOLAS are continually reviewing the existing statutory apprenticeships and the matter of colour vision testing will be included in this process.
695. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will examine a refusal to award a SUSI grant to a person (details supplied). [36980/22]
View answerThe main support available to assist postgraduate students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
As per Article 15(10)(c ) of the Student Grant Scheme 2021, grant aid for postgraduate study shall be limited to a maximum of four years in total and account is taken of all previous attendance and attainment at postgraduate level when considering grant aid entitlement for postgraduate study, regardless of whether a person previously received a grant or not.
With regard to the specific application, I have been advised by my officials that the student outlined by the Deputy submitted an application to SUSI in September 2021 for the 2021/2022 academic year for year 2 of a Level 10 postgraduate course. According to information provided by the student on the application form and through information sharing with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) it was determined that the student had previous postgraduate academic attendance and attainment which exceeded the maximum period of study allowed to be eligible for grant assistance under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme 2021 and a letter of ineligibility was issued. In a call to the SUSI Support Desk on 6th October 2021, the student was advised of the appeals process. During subsequent calls to the SUSI Support Desk on 16th December 2021 and 31st January 2022, the student was advised to request an internal review if there was any additional or new information regarding the application. The student did not avail of the right to appeal to SUSI within the required timeframe and to date no request for an internal review has been received.
Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may also be available in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student's local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie.
