While My Department has no specific scheme for the purpose of paying an allowance to meet expenditure incurred in the purchase of third level textbooks, it does operate a number of student support schemes, which provide for means-tested higher education maintenance grants in order to assist students to attend full-time third level education.
Under the terms of the support schemes, the reckonable income of a candidate, other than an independent mature candidate, for the purposes of the means test is his-her gross income from all sources, and the gross income of his-her parents or guardians where applicable, with certain specified social welfare and health board payments being exempt, including the means-tested one parent family payments administered by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.
As the person to whom the Deputy refers is under 23 years of age she cannot be assessed as a mature student and, therefore, parental income must be taken into account. If she has not already done so, she should contact the relevant local authority in order that her eligibility for grant assistance may be assessed.