Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 21 Jun 2001

Vol. 538 No. 5

Written Answers. - Third Level Scholarships.

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

169 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department holds a database of scholarships and schemes available to third level students at undergraduate and post-graduate level; if so, if this is published; the supports which are available to students taking postgraduate courses in the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18444/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

Third level institutions offer a diverse range of scholarships funded from a variety of sources, including from their own resources and from private donations. My Department does not hold details in relation to each such scholarship.

Under the programme for research in third level institutions, which is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund, third level institutions compete for funding for institutional research programmes. These programmes include the awarding by the colleges of postgraduate scholarships. A total of 290 post-graduate researchers had been assigned under the programme by 31 January 2001. As many as 49 post-graduate scholarships were awarded in 2000 under the postgraduate research and development skills development initiative in the technological sector.

Government of Ireland research scholarships are awarded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. More than 200 postgraduate scholarships have been awarded by the council since its establishment in 1998, including 93 awards for the academic year 2000-01.

Recently I announced the establishment of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology. The new research council will put in place, within these fields of study, similar post-graduate scholarship arrangements to those applying in the humanities and social science areas.

My Department operates three third level maintenance grant schemes and these are administered by the local authorities and the vocational education committees. Copies of the schemes are available from my Department and the relevant awarding bodies, local authorities or vocational education committees. A summary of the criteria for determining eligibility under the schemes is currently available on the Department's website: www.irlgov.ie/educ. My Department expects to issue the 2001 grants schemes shortly, with details of revised rates of maintenance grants and revised income limits.

Seven Easter week commemoration scholarships are awarded annually by my Department to the students who obtain the highest results in particular groups of subjects in the leaving certificate examination. My Department also offers 50 third level scholarships annually under three Irish scholarship schemes. Copies of the scholarship schemes are available from my Department. Details of the scholarships are also currently available on the Department's website.

The third level student support schemes do not extend to post-graduate study outside Ireland. However, the Finance Act, 2001, provided,inter alia, for tax relief in respect of postgraduate fees paid for part-time and full-time courses pursued in private and publicly funded colleges in Ireland and abroad.

With the introduction of tuition fees in the UK, EU students, including Irish students, are eligible for grant assistance towards the tuition fees, subject to the same conditions as apply to students who have been resident in Northern Ireland and Britain. This means that students from lower income families will receive full grant assistance towards the cost of their tuition fees.