Vol. 521 No. 4
273 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Education and Science when guidelines will be published for the third level grant assistance for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17166/00]
The higher education grants scheme operates under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. For the purposes of the scheme, an approved institution is defined to mean a university, university college or other institution of higher education in so far as it provides a course or courses of not less than two years duration, being a course or courses which the Minister for Education and Science approves for the time being for the purposes of the Acts.
I understand that the course in question is the B.Sc. in health studies, Queens University, Belfast. The duration of the course is one year and is not an approved course for the purposes of the higher education grants scheme. Similarly, the course is not an approved course for purposes of the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme.
Schemes, setting out details of student supports for the 2000-01 academic year, have recently been issued by my Department to local authorities and to the vocational education committees.
