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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 26 Mar 2002

Vol. 551 No. 2

Written Answers. - Student Support Schemes.

Batt O'Keeffe

Ceist:

481 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science when a waiver of fees will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [9725/02]

My Department meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending full-time approved undergraduate courses at approved colleges.

Students who are repeating a year at the same level are generally not eligible for funding. However, this condition may be waived in exceptional circumstances such as cases of certified serious illness.

Consideration of the circumstances in such cases is a matter for the third level institution, in the first instance. These institutions do not refer individual queries to my Department except in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular condition in the criteria is desired. It appears that no such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of the student, referred to by the Deputy.

Where an institution has not extended the benefit of free fees to an individual student, and the student is of the view that the criteria have not been interpreted correctly in his-her case, a letter outlining the position may be sent to my Department. Alternatively, as already indicated, the institution itself may, in exceptional circumstances, seek clarification on an issue from my Department.

It is not open to me or my Department to depart from the terms of the schemes of student support in individual cases.

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