Austin Deasy
Ceist:399 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to reduce the qualifying age limit for the mature student grant from the present qualifying limit of 23 years to a lower age level. [9003/00]
Vol. 516 No. 6
399 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to reduce the qualifying age limit for the mature student grant from the present qualifying limit of 23 years to a lower age level. [9003/00]
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 1 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.