Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The Taoiseach no doubt met Senator George Mitchell during his visit to the United States and the White House last week. The George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act 1998 (Amendment) Bill is No. 49 in section C of the Government legislation programme. We are beginning to become seriously financially embarrassed in respect of the fund which was established in 1998. The credibility of the goodwill of the Irish people is at risk unless we put our money where our mouth has so often been. When will the legislation be published?

The first anniversary of the passage of Second Stage of the Student Support Bill is coming up. It is still on Committee Stage and we await the amendments from the Department of Education and Science. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for Education and Science to communicate with the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science, the semi-detached support for the Government, Deputy Gogarty, to bring this matter forward? Unless it is brought forward we will miss another year of the administration of student grants because it will be another six to nine months before it is operational.

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