Vol. 462 No. 8
174 Mr. P. Gallagher (Donegal South West) asked the Minister for Education the procedures, if any, for obtaining maintenance support for students studying in third-level institutions in Britain from September 1996; when the application forms for prospective applicants will be available; if local authorities will be given an input into processing the applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5537/96]
175 Mr. P. Gallagher (Donegal South West) asked the Minister for Education what allocations, if any, she will be making in the form of maintenance grants for Irish students studying in third level colleges in Britain and elsewhere from September 1996; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5538/96]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 174 and 175 together.
A decision in principle has been taken to extend maintenance grants to qualifying Irish students studying approved courses abroad with effect from the 1996-97 academic year.
The detailed arrangements to give effect to this extension are being finalised in my Department at present. These arrangements involve the inclusion of the relevant courses abroad among the approved courses for the purposes of qualifying for receipt of a maintenance grant under the 1996 schemes of student support. The specimen schemes, in accordance with practice in recent years will issue to local authorities by early May.
Generally speaking successful applicants for student grants apply for, and are provisionally awarded, their grants in advance of knowing which of the approved courses they will eventually pursue in order to qualify for grant payment. Such students who subsequently pursue an approved course, which in the schemes of 1996 and subsequent years will include specified courses abroad, will qualify for payment of their grants.
In accordance with the usual funding procedures expenditure by local authorities on maintenance grants under the higher education grants scheme in 1996 will not fall to be recouped by my Department until 1997. The provision for maintenance grants for students studying abroad in 1996 under the vocational scholarship scheme is of the order of £54,000.
