Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

It is well recognised that one of the major problems facing third level students entitled to maintenance grants is receiving the grant on time. Some 15 months ago, as part of a brave new world before the election, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, proposed a new Bill to effectively give control of the timely distribution of grants to Vocational Educational Committees, VECs. When are we likely to see the student support Bill, promised legislation, and will it be enacted before Christmas given that these reforms must be in place by next summer?

See this speech in context