Vol. 525 No. 4
157 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans he has to make a higher education grant available to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 18 in view of the fact she was resident here for the required period. [25328/00]
The statutory framework for the maintenance grants scheme, as set out in the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992, provides for means-tested higher education grants in order to assist students to attend full-time third level education.
Generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means and nationality.
My Department understands that the person in question does not satisfy the relevant condition relating to means and, accordingly, has been deemed ineligible for a higher education grant by the relevant local authority.
Under the free fees initiative my Department meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending full-time undergraduate courses, which must generally be of at least two years duration, at approved colleges. There is a residency requirement in the criteria relating to the free fees initiative to the effect that tuition fees are payable in respect of eligible EU nationals who have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state for at least three of the five years preceding entry to their third-level course. This condition applies equally to all EU nationals, including Irish nationals.
The person in question was deemed ineligible for free fees by the third level institution concerned, on the basis that she did not fulfil the residency requirement.
The person concerned then requested that this decision be reviewed by my Department.
Having taken the information provided by the person in question into consideration, it appears that, at most, she could be considered to have been resident in an EU member state for just two years and ten months in the five years preceding entry to third level. Short periods spent in Ireland while on annual leave cannot be reckonable for the purpose of meeting the minimum residency requirement.
Accordingly, she is ineligible to benefit under the free fees initiative and will therefore be liable for tuition fees in respect of her undergraduate studies.
I informed the person involved of this outcome by letter dated 12 October 2000.
The conditions and terms of the free fees initiative are of general application and, accordingly, it is not possible to make an exception in individual cases such as this.
158 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans he has to make a higher education grant available to a person (details supplied) in County Cork in view of the special circumstances which apply in this case. [25329/00]
The student to whom the Deputy refers is currently pursuing the third year of a national diploma course in sculpture at Limerick Institute of Technology and has already completed two years of a degree level course at the National College of Art and Design.
Under the terms of the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees, 2000, means tested maintenance grants are made available to eligible students who are pursuing one and two year courses up to national certificate level and three year national diploma and one year "Add-on" diploma level courses at institutes of technology.
The terms of this grants scheme provide, inter alia, that candidates are ineligible for an award under the scheme if they have completed more than the first year of a degree level course.
Accordingly, as the student in question has completed two years of a degree level course, she is ineligible for grant assistance in respect of any course of study covered by the third level maintenance grants scheme.
However, the student in question will become eligible to be considered for grant assistance if, on completion of her national diploma course, she progresses to an add-on degree course to which a separate grants scheme, the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme, applies.
