Vol. 475 No. 6
118 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education the reason an independent mature student can receive a maximum grant of only £637 in view of the fact that students under 23 years of age of similar means can receive up to £1,600; and if she will review this situation as a matter of urgency. [5503/97]
Under the terms of the higher education grants scheme, an independent mature student is defined to mean a mature student who is not ordinarily resident at home with his or her parents.
Independent mature students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address.
An independent mature student's residence for the purpose of determining the rate of grant payable under the scheme is their residence for the purpose of attending college. If this address is within 15 miles of the college the adjacent rate of grant — £637 maximum — is payable. If the address is more than 15 miles from the college the non-adjacent rate (£1,600) 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.
