Vol. 561 No. 5
207 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) is not deemed to qualify for a third level education grant due to their third level education beginning prior to naturalisation being granted. [4935/03]
Under the terms of my Department's four maintenance grant schemes, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students who satisfy prescribed conditions including those relating to residence, nationality and previous academic attainment.
Under the nationality requirement students must hold EU nationality, official refugee status or have been granted humanitarian leave to remain in the State. It has been the case that students must meet the nationality requirement at the time of entry or re-entry to an approved course.
My Department accepts that the grants schemes have given rise to difficulties in the case of non-EU nationals who, in the course of their third level studies, become naturalised Irish citizens.
The schemes already contain a change in circumstances clause which provides that a candidate's eligibility may be assessed or re-assessed in the event of a change in circumstances in relation to, inter alia, reckonable income, the number of dependent children and normal residence.
Following a review of the change in circumstances clause which has now been completed within my Department, it has been decided to implement a revision in the 2002 grants schemes through the addition of nationality, where the candidate becomes an Irish national or the national of another EU member state, to the categories of circumstances which would allow a local authority or vocational education committee to reassess an applicant, arising from a change in the applicant's circumstances.
The 2002 schemes are effective in respect of the 2002-03 academic year. This revision will allow candidates who acquire nationality during the course of their studies to apply to be assessed or re-assessed for grant assistance with effect from the academic term when the change occurs. My Department is notifying the local authorities and vocational education committees accordingly.
