John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I assure the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Quinn, is a transforming Minister in the education area. This is a major transformation in the grants system. While the Deputy referred to the example of the medical card system, we are dealing with a completely different cohort of people in this area. They are very much into social media and the Internet. There is also the involvement of local radio. In addition, this will only apply to new applicants. I am confident that we are dealing with a highly intelligent student base who will be familiar with social media and can make their applications online. It will be a keep-it-simple application.

Given the access to information, I sincerely hope there will not be much requirement for telephone guidance but if it is required, I am assured it will be provided in a very effective way that will allay concerns. A one-stop-shop for grants is a tranformational concept. It will certainly ensure that people will know where they stand, and I have been assured it is designed to keep everything very simple. Applicants will fill in the boxes and provide the relevant information. It will be a user-friendly website. I accept the Deputy's concerns about people not getting through on the telephone and so forth. That concern prevailed in the medical card situation but I assure him there will not be a repeat of that in this area.

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