Vol. 486 No. 6
327 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education and Science, further to Parliamentary Question No. 911 of 28 January 1998, if he will review the matter in the context of the drugs crisis and allow for the payment of the higher education grant as was done for the previous two years. [3245/98]
The course referred to by the Deputy is a one year undergraduate course and as such is not eligible for funding under the third level student support schemes.
The position in relation to the payment of higher education grants to students attending this course in previous years is that once it was brought to the attention of my Department that this course was an undergraduate course, my Department advised Dublin Corporation that it was not an approved course for the purposes of the higher education grants scheme. As five students had been awarded grants by Dublin Corporation for the attendance at the course during 1996-97, before the matter came to light, my Department authorised the payment of the grants as an exceptional matter as the students had been advised in good faith that the course qualified for financial assistance. The position in relation to the 1995-96 academic year is that three students were incorrectly awarded grants by Dublin Corporation and inadvertently approved by my Department on the basis that it was a postgraduate course.
In all the circumstances, I am unfortunately unable to accede to the Deputy's request.
