John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1669: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a higher education grant was not approved in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 1 in view of the fact that the person is aged 21 years, lives independently and the parents live abroad with little income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2256/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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 terms of my Department's four Student Maintenance Grant Schemes, grants are payable to candidates pursuing approved full-time courses who meet prescribed conditions, including those pertaining to nationality, residency, means, age and previous academic attainment.

Under the residency requirement a candidate's parents, or in the case of an independent mature candidate, the candidate herself/himself, must have been resident in the State from the 1st October of the year prior to entry on an approved course. 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.

However, applicants who do not meet the residency requirement may be eligible for a fees only grant (registration fee only). In order to be assessed the candidate should apply to the Local Authority in whose administrative area the College is situated. It is not open to me, or to my Department, to depart from the terms of the schemes in individual cases.