Vol. 562 No. 3
11 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied) in County Waterford who has been precluded from obtaining a post-leaving certificate grant due to circumstances of guardianship; if this person will not lose out on further education due to their circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5731/03]
The decision on eligibility for maintenance grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is desired.
Under the means test provisions of the maintenance grants schemes, the reckonable income of a candidate, other than an independent mature candidate, is his/her gross income from all sources, and the gross income of his-her parents or guardians where applicable, with certain specified social welfare and health board payments being exempt.
Under the terms of the residency clause of the schemes, the candidate's parents or guardians, or, in the case of an independent mature candidate, the candidate herself-himself, must have been ordinarily resident in the administrative area of, in the case of an application for a PLC grant, the vocational education committee, from 1 October previous to entry to the course in question. The VEC has discretion to waive this requirement in exceptional circumstances.
The candidate, referred to by the Deputy, is under 23 years of age and must, therefore, be assessed by reference to parent(s) income and residency status.
It is not open to me or to my Department to depart from the terms of the schemes in individual cases.
