Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I thank my two colleagues for sharing time and giving me an opportunity to speak on this Bill. I am very pleased that the Student Support Bill 2008 is being moved through this House and I am delighted to endorse the provisions of the Bill as being largely supportive of students applying for higher education grants.

The Bill generally provides for making grants available to all those who wish to pursue further and higher education courses and who, owing to their financial circumstances, might not otherwise be in a position to afford these courses of study. The principle of promoting further educational opportunities has long been cherished in this country and providing broad and easy access to those opportunities is critical to ensure equity of access for all who want to advance their knowledge, skills and employability in the future. Good education is one of our proudest resources and we have a bounden obligation to facilitate access to further education. This is a sound philosophy which we all endorse and I am delighted to be associated with the Bill and its very practical measures.

This legislation is constructive and progressive. It represents a timely response to criticisms which have been levied over the years about the seemingly fragmented, often unco-ordinated and frequently frustrating manner in which the various grants schemes have operated. There appeared to be various flaws inherent in that system and, from my experience of the schemes, they certainly did not appear to be user friendly. Currently, four schemes are available in this country. They are the higher education grants scheme, the VECs' scholarship scheme, the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees and the maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate courses. I understand there are 57,000 students availing of these schemes at present. It is pragmatic and reasonable to integrate our system of grants and it is entirely appropriate that applicants be facilitated in their applications in terms of access to information and ease of process.

The primary purpose of this Bill is to streamline the existing process. This will give us a single statutory basis for processing applications and disbursing all student grants. It will replace the four different schemes currently operated by the VECs and the local authorities, which is a very positive measure. It is envisaged the VECs will be given sole responsibility for the administration of the student maintenance grants and this will halve the current number of awarding authorities to 33. This is eminently sensible. It finally introduces a note of wisdom into the current arrangements by seeking to rationalise and streamline the whole procedure for student applicants. This unified approach will undoubtedly bring greater cohesion and greater clarity to the procedures. Anything which lends increased efficiency and timeliness of response is to be welcomed wholeheartedly. A streamlined system will improve the overall service to students in terms of accessibility, facilitate a greater consistency in the method of application for these grants and ensure the timely delivery of grant payments to students who are usually strapped for cash.

I am also very pleased to note the Bill sets out explicit timeframes for payment of the grants and it enables far better efficiency in terms of the internal arrangements for processing the numerous applications. The proposal to simplify the range of different grants available and the awarding authorities to which one must apply will certainly lend itself to greater clarity, less confusion, increased efficiencies and improved accessibility for intending applicants. The overhaul of the current complicated system has been welcomed with enthusiasm by all interested parties, including the Union of Students in Ireland and Aontas. I am glad to welcome the new procedures as sensitive, positive and hugely helpful to all those students who avail of the grant award schemes every year.

The intention contained in the Bill to establish an independent appeals board is a noteworthy and very constructive measure. The existence of an independent statutory body will certainly promote far greater transparency and public confidence in the entire grants awarding process. The Bill is also powerful in that it contains teeth. It gives greater strength and vigour to enable the issue of fraud to be pursued successfully by the awarding authority. It sets out significant offences and penalties which definitely provide a solid basis to actively pursue those applicants who may have provided false, misleading or incomplete information for the purpose of securing a grant. The awarding authority will have the necessary force of law to ensure no irregularities occur in the system as a result of fraud. This provision is essential.

The Bill is enlightened and progressive as it promotes improved equity of access to further and higher education for groups which are under-represented in society. It requires the institutions which are involved to formulate and to actively implement clear access plans and policies on equality. Equality and access are extremely important in the overall context of education and I am delighted the Student Support Bill underpins those core objectives and values within the system.

It is anticipated this legislation will be ready to come into effect for new applicants for the academic year 2009-10 and I am pleased the necessary transitional arrangements are in place to effect the change. It is vital to minimise disruption to students and it is critical the VECs be allocated sufficient time to develop their infrastructure and resources so this fully-integrated scheme can be applied effectively. I look forward to the Bill being implemented.

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