Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Paul McGrath for affording me this opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding an application by the student in question for funding under the vocational education committees scholarship scheme. I apologise on behalf of the Minister who, unfortunately, has another engagement this evening.

The Department funds three means tested maintenance grant schemes for third level education students in respect of attendance on approved courses in approved third level institutions and one maintenance grant scheme in respect of students attending approved post-leaving certificate courses in approved PLC centres. These are the higher education grants scheme, the vocational education committees scholarship scheme, the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees and the maintenance grant scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate courses.

The higher education grants scheme is administered by local authorities, while the other three schemes are administered by vocational education committees on behalf of the Department of Education and Science. The process of assessing eligibility for third level or further education grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC in the first instance. The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for Westmeath VEC, the awarding body in this case. These bodies do not refer individual applications to the Department except in exceptional cases when, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is desired. It appears no such advice or instruction has to date been sought by the awarding authority in the case of the student in question.

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