Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy O'Keeffe. I thank the Deputy for giving me this opportunity to outline the position of the Department of Education and Science regarding changes announced in the budget to student maintenance grants for those also availing of the back to education allowance scheme.

I am pleased to inform the house that the Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students: 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 the local authorities. The other three schemes are administered by the vocational education committees. Under the terms of the maintenance grant schemes, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, means and previous academic attainment.

The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the workforce. Eligibility for the back to education allowance and associated payments is determined and administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Hanafin.

The Deputy will appreciate that in the context of the current economic circumstances difficult choices had to be made by Government in order to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long term. It was decided to discontinue the practice of allowing students to hold the BTEA or VTOS allowance and a student maintenance grant simultaneously as this represents a duplication of income support payments. From September 2010, as announced in the budget, all new applicants who are in receipt of the back to education allowance for all schemes and the VTOS allowances for those pursuing PLC courses will be ineligible for student maintenance grants. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the cost of the student services charge and any fees payable to colleges will continue to be met, for eligible students, by the Exchequer on their behalf. Students should apply to their assessing authority to have their eligibility assessed.

As the Deputy will be aware, students currently in receipt of the BTEA are not automatically entitled to a maintenance grant.

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