Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 218: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he provides any funding to students on the George Mitchell Scholarship in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41374/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The funding of the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme is a reflection of the Government's gratitude for the significant contribution made by Senator Mitchell to the promotion of peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. An Agreement was signed with the US-Ireland Alliance in March 1999. An Irish Government endowment of IR£2 million was subsequently paid into the Fund. The endowment was to fund 2 scholarships of US$11,000 per year and to meet the administrative costs associated with running the programme. A further 10 scholarships were funded annually under the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme. The costs of these scholarships were met through an endowment made by the British Government (2 scholarships per year) and other private contributions and/or sponsorship (including the US Government) secured by the US-Ireland Alliance.

In 2003 a decision was made to rest the Fund for a period by not making any disbursements in respect of scholarships from the income generated from the Fund. Since 2003 the only charge against the income from the Irish Government's endowment has been in respect of audit and investment advisory fees. The costs of the scholarships and administration including salaries have been borne by the US-Ireland Alliance from funds it has raised from other sources. This includes several million dollars from the US Government.

In 2007 a decision was taken to secure the long term viability of the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme by increasing Ireland's contribution to the Fund for the programme by €20 million to be paid over a number of years, conditional on matching funding being raised by the US-Ireland Alliance. Such matching funding must not include funding from public funds in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

The George Mitchell Scholarship Fund (Amendment) Act 2010 was brought into operation on 1st June 2010. Pursuant to the terms of the amending legislation and new agreement, my Department paid €1,493,507 into the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund on 30 July 2010. To date this is the only payment made by my Department into this Fund since the initial endowment of IR£2 million in 1999. The Mitchell scholars receive an allowance of about $12,700 towards living expenses and a travel allowance of up to $2,300. Their fees and accommodation costs are met by the colleges they attend.