Vol. 509 No. 6
547 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will invest in purpose built student housing; if he will abolish all college fees restoring free third level education; and if he will bring maintenance grants into line with social welfare payments. [21735/99]
The issues referred to by the Deputy were raised recently by the Union of Students in Ireland in the context of their 1999 pre-budget submission, to which I have previously outlined my response.
On the issue of student accommodation, the Government has already introduced special tax incentives to encourage the provision of student rented residential accommodation in this year's Finance Act. For the purposes of the scheme, properties qualifying for relief are campus areas of an eligible educational institution or areas within an 8 kilometre radius of the main campus, which are approved by the certifying educational institution as being areas within which a qualifying development may take place. The provision of on-campus accommodation is ongoing in the third level sector. On-campus accommodation for 700 students is expected to be completed well in advance of the next academic year at the Galway campus of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology while approval for on-campus accommodation in respect of 450 bed spaces has been sanctioned by the University of Limerick.
A number of developers have made initial inquiries or submitted applications to educational institutions in respect of developments which are within 8 kilometres of the eligible institutions and to date four such applications have received approval. With the advent of such developments additional student accommodation will become available over the next number of years.
The college fees referred to is the standardised charge which the third level colleges levied in the context of the free fees initiative in the 1995-96 academic year for examinations, registration and student services. This charge is £278 for the current year and I would point out to the Deputy that students who are eligible for maintenance grants under the means tested student support schemes do not have to pay this charge. The effect of the charge has been to provide a sounder and more secure funding base for the services covered. I am concerned to ensure that the level of the services provided fully reflects the amount charged and my officials are in discussions with the Higher Education Authority and the universities in this regard. I am also concerned that appropriate systems of consultation and accountability in the allocation of funding from the charge and in the determination of student services to be funded apply in all third level colleges. I understand that the Higher Education Authority's review of the consultative and decision making procedures in place in the various third level colleges in this regard, will be finalised shortly.
