Vol. 469 No. 7
7 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17766/96]
8 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17777/96]
11 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17780/96]
22 Mr. H. Byrne asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17779/96]
23 Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17783/96]
26 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17781/96]
27 Mr. M. Smith asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17784/96]
32 Mr. Nolan asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17778/96]
39 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17774/96]
44 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17776/96]
51 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17771/96]
70 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17775/96]
75 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grants from their local authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17444/96]
77 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17782/96]
79 Mr. Hilliard asked the Minister for Education the reason mature students attending third level institutions and living independently from home are only receiving the adjacent rate of the higher education maintenance grant from their local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17773/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 8, 11, 22, 23, 26, 27, 32, 39, 44, 51, 70, 75, 77 and 79 together.
Independent mature students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address. The address of independent mature students for the purpose of determining the rate of grant is their residence for the purpose of attending college. If this address is within 15 miles of the college the adjacent rate of grant is payable. If the address is more than 15 miles from the college the non-adjacent rate is payable.
Where independent mature students can produce evidence that they are maintaining a residence other than their address while attending college and the non-college residence is more than 15 miles from the college it is open to the local authority to regard that address as the normal residence and to award a non-adjacent maintenance grant.
To award the non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant to independent mature students irrespective of their address would in effect involve creating a new category within the grant schemes. This would in turn be likely to lead to demands that this category be applied to all students. Such a course would involve additional expenditure of about £11 million per annum.
I thank the Minister for her explanation but I find it incredible that a lone mother of two school-going children living within 15 miles of University College Cork and paying £50 a week baby-sitting expenses and travel expenses to attend, for example, the Early Childhood BA Studies course, has to maintain a second residence apart from the residence she is renting at the moment to secure the full maintenance rate of £1,600. The Minister should take a policy initiative to give special treatment to mature students, particularly lone parents who are under considerable pressure to attend full-time education to seek future career opportunities and progress in life. I appeal to the Minister to review this condition and allow mature students in particular to avail of the full rate of maintenance grant, low and all as that is. It is a scandal they should have to depend on the adjacent rate.
The appeal being made by the Deputy is not to make an exception but to introduce a new category. Under the existing categories, students are independently assessed, regardless of address, but based on the catchment area in which they live. All students within the 15 mile radius get the adjacent rate. Those outside the 15 mile radius get the non-adjacent rate.
That is not the case. What would be wrong with establishing a new category?
It would cost £11 million.
It would not. It would be £11 million for everything else the Minister would throw in after that. The de Buitléir report recommended that special treatment should be considered for mature students. They have been treated in a niggardly way by the Minister. The undergraduate student has benefited to a far greater degree than the mature student. There are clear additional expenses involved for any mature student to return to education, particularly lone parents. The situation of a lone parent is extremely difficult and I find it extraordinary that the Minister does not have the heart to review the existing arrangements to facilitate the participation at least of lone parents in full-time third level education. Why not introduce a new category?
Clearly I am being accused of having no heart. There are costs involved. The introduction of tax relief for students for example certainly benefits the mature student.
A lone parent cannot benefit from tax relief.
If the Deputy is suggesting that changing the rules or forming a new category involves no cost, let me inform that it does. Under the existing scheme students are judged on whether they live within or without a radius of 15 miles. To extend that or review it would cost an additional £11 million for that sector in education.
A sum of £40 million was realised last year from the abolition of tax convenants and it went entirely to the undergraduate student. The plight of some mature students is far worse than that of many undergraduate students who receive free fees and so on. It is discriminatory against people who are on social welfare that they cannot get the full rate of maintenance grant.
Surely their constitutional rights should ensure equal treatment for mature students. The Minister says there would be extra costs. Has the Minister had any contact with the Minister for Equality and Law Reform on this matter, and what was the outcome? How many mature students are currently in receipt of third level grants?
There is no breakdown of figures in regard to mature students. I can give the Deputy the definition of a mature student, and the definition of dependent and independent mature students. I can give the Deputy information about the numbers who receive the adjacent rate and those that receive the non-adjacent rate — 11,788 students qualify for the adjacent rate and 30,561 students qualify for the non-adjacent rate. There is no category which differs between mature students. The categories are divided in respect of the catchment area. Those within a catchment area are judged as independent mature students and qualify for the adjacent rate. Those outside a catchment area of 15 miles qualify for the non-adjacent rate.
This is most unsatisfactory. I have asked two supplementary questions to which I have not got responses. How can the Minister form a policy in respect of mature students and their particular problems if she does not have the information or the numbers? I asked for the numbers and the Minister did not have them.
That information is additional to the question.
The Minister should have them. If an undergraduate student moves from Dublin to Cork or to Galway he or she will receive the full rate. If a mature student leaves a family home in Dublin — this is an important issue for many young people and the Minister should not be flippant about it — and moves to Cork to attend college he or she will not receive the same treatment and will receive only the adjacent rate. That is discriminatory. It should be reviewed and the Minister should accede to their request and allow them to benefit from the full maintenance grant.
I said earlier that there are cost and priority implications. A category is in existence. It may be attractive to create a new category but given the cost implications I would have to examine it on a priority basis. People are not discriminated against on the grounds of their being mature or otherwise. The categories are judged on whether one resides within 15 miles of the institution or outside the 15 mile radius.
Is the Minister in favour of increasing the number of mature students availing of third level education and, if so, what steps is she taking in this regard?
I can give the Deputy statistics about students who are qualifying but no breakdown of figures is available for mature students only. It is the Deputy's right to ask for a breakdown of a category where there could be additional expenditure. It is not that I am hiding the information, the breakdown is not available.
I asked a straight question. Is the Minister in favour of increasing the number of mature students in third level education?
There can be no question about my enthusiasm for education. The opening of the gates to many sections of the community, which has happened during my time, would give a positive signal that we share the same enthusiasm for education.
Will the Minister confirm that a change was introduced in respect of independent mature students in 1995? Prior to 1995 if an independent mature student from Galway attended college in Cork and lived within 15 miles of the college in Cork he or she would have been entitled to the full rate grant rather than the adjacent grant. Will the Minister confirm that the regulation was changed in 1995?
I cannot answer that question until I confirm that the Deputy is correct.
The Minister should know that.
It is only fair to the House and to the Deputy that the information I give him should be factually correct.
Fifteen Deputies tabled questions on this issue. It is unacceptable that a Minister should come before the House without the facts.
This question has been dealt with extensively.
She is treating the House with total disregard.
We were just moving on when Deputy Ó Cuív arrived and I allowed him to ask a supplementary. I now ask him to resume his seat.
We were told there were cost implications. How is it those cost implications were not there before 1995?
