Vol. 508 No. 1
814 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will review the arbitrary age of 23 which decides whether a student qualifies as a mature student for the purpose of means tests; and if he will introduce more flexible arrangements whereby students under 23 might benefit from these provisions if the particular circumstances warrant it. [17398/99]
953 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some students are not able to avail of the higher education grant due to the fact they are in dispute with their parents and not in a position to provide the necessary income information to the local authority; and the plans, if any, he has to rectify this. [18340/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 814 and 953 together.
The higher education grant schemes operate under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. These Acts define a mature student to mean a person "of not less than 23 years of age, or such other age as may stand specified for the time being in regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, who have secured places in approved institutions and have reached that age on l January, or such other date as may be prescribed from time to time by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, in the year of entry to such institutions". The Acts further provide, inter alia, for the making of grants to mature students whose means and those of their parents, where the mature students are dependent on their parents, and the means of their spouses, if any, do not exceed prescribed limits.
Under the terms of the higher education grants schemes, mature students are categorised as either independent mature students or mature students dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined to mean a mature student who was not ordinarily resident at home with his or her parents from the October preceding their entry to an approved course. Independent mature students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address.
When assessing the means of students other that mature students, the Acts specify that the students' means and those of their parents or guardians must be below a prescribed limit. This provision requires that parental income be taken into account irrespective of the individual circumstances in any case where the student is not a mature student. The other student support schemes have similar provisions in relation to the means assessment of students.
I appreciate the difficulties that these provisions can give rise to in individual cases and I have asked my Department to examine the issues concerned.
