Vol. 571 No. 1
563 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person aged 29 years of age residing at home who applies for a higher education grant will be classed as an adult dependant; the reason the age limit was increased from 23 to 29 years; the plans he has in place to have individual assessments carried out on mature students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20348/03]
Under the terms of the Department's maintenance grants scheme, a mature student is defined as a candidate who is at least 23 years of age on 1 January of the year of entry or re-entry to an approved course. Mature students are then categorised as either independent mature students or mature students dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined to mean a mature student who was not ordinarily resident at home with his or her parents from 1 October preceding his or her entry to an approved course. Independent mature students are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address.
When assessing the means of students other than independent mature students, the students' means and those of their parents or guardians must be below a prescribed limit. This provision requires that parental income be taken into account irrespective of the individual circumstances in any case where the student is not a mature student.
