Vol. 495 No. 7
731 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will intervene on behalf of a person (details supplied) in County Sligo and have her approved for the full grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21603/98]
Under the terms of the student support schemes, the rate of maintenance grant payable is determined by reference to the distance from the student's normal residence to the college which she-he is attending.
In the case of independent mature students, normal residence is defined as the address of the candidate while in attendance at college. If this address is 15 miles or less from the college which she-he is attending, the adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable. If the address is more than 15 miles from the college, the non-adjacent rate of grant is payable. However, where an independent mature student can produce supporting evidence that she-he is maintaining a residence other than his-her address while attending college, it will be open to the awarding authority to regard that address as the candidate's normal residence.
I understand from Sligo Vocational Education Committee that the normal residence of the student in question is within 15 miles of the Institute of Technology Limerick and she has, therefore, been awarded the correct rate of grant.
