Vol. 518 No. 4
50 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the adequacy of the third level maintenance grant; if he will benchmark this grant to social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11816/00]
75 Mr. D'Arcy asked the Minister for Education and Science the proposals, if any, he has to make appropriate increases in the income limits which apply to the levels of third level maintenance grants and the level of grant payable in view of a recent USI survey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11758/00]
95 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Education and Science the proposals his Department has to bring maintenance grant payments in line with comparable social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11747/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 50, 75 and 95 together.
The statutory framework for the maintenance grants scheme, as set out in the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992, provides for higher education grants in order to assist students to attend full-time third level education. For the current academic year, the rates of the maintenance grants payable are set at £1,690 at the non-adjacent rate and £676 at the adjacent rate.
The reckonable income limit for a full maintenance grant under the student support schemes for the 1999-2000 academic year is £19,200 in a family with less than four dependent children. Candidates who do not qualify for a full maintenance grant may qualify for a part-maintenance grant, 50%, where the reckonable income does not exceed £20,400. Where two or more children or the candidate's parent are attending full-time approved third level courses the above income limits may be increased by £2,160 where there are two such children, by £4,320 for three such children and so on, by increments of £2,160.
With some 40% of third level students qualifying for maintenance grants, any proposal that student grants be brought in line with social welfare payments for the unemployed would give rise to considerable cost, estimated by my Department to be in excess of £50 million per annum.
I intend to follow the practice of recent years and increase third level maintenance grants in line with inflation and I intend to continue the practice of increasing the reckonable income limits in line with movements in the average industrial wage. This approach will ensure that the real value of maintenance grants is maintained. The question of providing further additional increases to the value of maintenance grants can only be considered having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the education sector.
