Vol. 561 No. 4
269 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if the maximum advice and financial assistance will be given to a person (details supplied) and guidance on the best way to improve their quality of life. [4731/03]
Under the free fees initiative, my Department meets the tuition fees of eligible students attending full-time undergraduate courses, which must generally be of at least two years duration. Generally, eligible students are those who are first-time undergraduates, are EU nationals or hold official refugee status and have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved course.
In addition, my Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students which are administered by the local authorities and the vocational education committees. Generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses at undergraduate or post-graduate level for the first time are eligible for maintenance grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means and nationality. Candidates who hold European Union nationality, official refugee status or have been granted humanitarian leave to remain in the State are eligible under the nationality requirement of the schemes.
Maintenance grants are payable at either adjacent or non-adjacent rates. The adjacent rate of grant is payable where the grant holder's normal residence is 15 miles or less from the college being attended. The non-adjacent rate of grant is payable in all other cases. The full rate of adjacent and non-adjacent grant for the current academic year is €2,510 and €1,004 respectively.
Apart from the maintenance grants schemes and the free fees initiative, financial support is also available to students, in approved third level institutions, through the student assistance fund. The objectives of the fund, which is ESF-aided, are to assist students in a sensitive and compassionate manner who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. The fund is administered on a discretionary and confidential basis by each third level institution and provides direct financial support to disadvantaged students to assist them to remain on in college.
