Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 June 2004
80 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress made to date by the interdepartmental group considering new arrangements for means testing of third level grant applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19480/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no formal interdepartmental group considering new arrangements for means testing of third level grant applicants.
In accordance with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government, I intend to introduce a unified scheme for third level grants. I also propose to put in place a more coherent administration system which will facilitate the introduction of more sophisticated means testing arrangements and ensure consistency of application and client accessibility.
The Deputy will be aware that the 2003 report entitled Supporting Equity in Higher Education identified the fairness of the means assessment on which student support is based as being a vitally important issue in promoting equity. It noted that the current system is widely regarded as being inequitable and, in line with earlier reports, concluded that the introduction of a capital test would remove a significant perceived inequity in the system. The report also concluded in this context that the administration of the student support schemes needs to be reformed.
In that context my Department has commenced discussions with the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners to establish the extent to which they can assist in the streamlining of the administration of the single unified scheme which I intend to establish on a statutory basis to replace existing arrangements.
The Deputy will appreciate that there are major implications for the local authorities and vocational education committees in any proposals to change the administration of the maintenance grants schemes. I intend that there will be full consultation with all interested parties and that no irrevocable decisions will be taken on any future arrangements prior to such consultation taking place. In this context my Department has commenced a series of consultations with key stakeholders, including the Irish Vocational Education Association and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, on the future administration of student support schemes. My Department plans to meet other representative groups, including the City and County Managers' Association. When these discussions are concluded, I will be in a position to make a final determination as to the most efficient and effective arrangements for the future administration of the schemes.
The Deputy will be aware that the timeframe for delivering on the commitments in An Agreed Programme for Government of June 2002 is the term of office of the Government, which I expect to be until 2007.
I do not know if the Minister can give us a little more information on his proposed timeframe. When does he expect to get a response to the proposals he put to the Department of Social and Family Affairs? What does he foresee as the overall timeframe in terms of producing changes in means testing? In the proposal to include assessment of assets as well as income, does he have any plans on how to assess people's assets?
The timescale is the lifetime of this Government. I am a little wary of being definitive in regard to timescales given the different bodies and organisations which will be involved in discussions. I cannot be any more precise. There has been a number of meetings with the Department of Social and Family Affairs, including one at ministerial level, and officials have had contacts. There have been at least one or two other meetings of which I am aware, but there has been ongoing contacts between both Departments. Contacts have also been made with the Revenue Commissioners which are more to do with the systems of assessment and so on. They have an expertise in this area which perhaps we would not have. We need to get a grasp of what might and might not be possible in regard to assessments.
On the question of the method we might use for assessing assets and so on, no work has been done in that area. There is a number of reports, as the Deputy knows. The issue arises a little in the context of the discussions with the Department of Social and Family Affairs which has a method for assessing capital and the value of capital for social welfare payments. That is one area that will be discussed by the two Departments.
