Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Dec 2003

Vol. 576 No. 1

Written Answers. - Third Level Fees.

John Cregan

Ceist:

207 Mr. Cregan asked the Minister for Education and Science the position on the third level free fees scheme and in particular, the rules and criteria on students who opt out of courses and start the same course or different ones again; the details of the rules; the position when a student returns to college after a five to ten year gap; if free fees start again after a five year gap; if it matters if a student withdraws early in the year, at Christmas for example; if they must formally deregister or if attendance records of non-attendance suffice; and the reason a student who withdrew from a Dublin Institute of Technology certificate course in 1993 now has to pay when doing a degree course and is being told he would not pay fees if the 1993 course was a degree course. [29268/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

Under the terms of my Department's free fees initiative and the regulations governing the middle level technician and higher technical – business skills programme, the Exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending approved full-time undergraduate courses, including certificate and diploma courses, which must generally be of least two years' duration at approved colleges. Eligibility under these initiatives are subject to a number of conditions. For example, students who are repeating a year are generally not eligible for funding.

It is the third level institutions which take decisions regarding eligibility under these schemes, based on the criteria issued by my Department. These institutions do not refer individual queries to my Department except, in exceptional cases. Where an institution has not extended the benefit of free tuition fees to an individual student, and the student is of the view that the criteria have not been interpreted correctly in his or her case, a letter outlining the position may be sent to the Department. Alternatively, as already indicated, the institute itself may, in exceptional circumstances, seek clarification on an issue from the Department.

Question No 208 answered with Question No. 194.