Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when her Department will publish the student support Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33902/07]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will make a statement on the proposed student support Bill. [34004/07]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason the student support Bill has not been published; if the heads of the Bill have been agreed by Government; if it has been sent to the parliamentary draughtsman's Office; if so, when; if she will introduce it in the Dáil or Seanad; if she will have it published before the Christmas recess 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33431/07]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 726: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when she will publish the student support Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34053/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 58, 66, 98 and 726 together.

As the Deputies will be aware, I announced in June 2006 that the vocational education committees, VECs, would be given sole responsibility for the administration of the third level student maintenance grants. Following my announcement, the Government gave approval for the drafting of a new student support Bill along the lines of the general scheme presented to them.

The proposed student support Bill will place all student grants on a statutory footing for the first time and will provide for the designation of grant awarding authorities and for the general basis on which grants will be awarded to eligible students.

My main priority in bringing forward this Bill is to provide a statutory framework for reforming the administration of student grants, and a coherent basis for a new single unified scheme of student maintenance grants.

The Bill is part of a programme of legislative and administrative reform, which will facilitate the introduction of service improvements in the administration of student grants, providing for greater consistency of application, improved client accessibility and timely delivery of grants to those who need them most. It will include guaranteed timeframes for the assessment of grants, an independent appeals procedure and more efficient arrangements for handling applications and making payments.

The existing arrangements for student grants encompass a mix of statutory and non-statutory administrative schemes involving a variety of different conditions and entitlements under each scheme. Therefore, in moving from the four existing schemes to a single statutory-based scheme, a range of complex issues emerged to be addressed. Officials in my Department have been working closely with the Attorney General's office to resolve all of these matters in order to ensure the new arrangements in the single scheme will be more coherent, accessible and understandable for students and their parents.

I want to reassure Deputies of my commitment to move forward with the programme of legislative and administrative reform of student grants. The student support Bill is at the final stages of preparation and my Department is currently working closely with the Office of the Attorney General to finalise the draft legislation. I hope to be in a position to have the Bill published shortly, if possible during the current Dáil session or, more likely, before the return of the Dáil in January.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister will be aware that she gave a commitment in 2006 that this issue would be resolved. On at least ten occasions before the general election she stated this Bill would be published and the issue would be resolved. What are the delays at this stage?

Deputy Coonan asked when the Minister will publish this Bill. Will it be published in the next month before the new session begins and, more importantly, when will it be put before the Dáil?

This is the key question. Is the Minister giving a guarantee to the House that the new regime, in terms of placing responsibility for all maintenance grants within the VEC sector, will be in place by September 2008 so that there is a much greater streamlining of grants for third level students?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am not sure Deputy Hayes heard the last line of my answer, where I stated the Bill will be published by the time the Dáil returns in January. We then intend to pursue taking it through the Houses immediately during the next term.

Our obvious commitment then is to ensure that matters can be speeded up for next year. My intention is to have the applications forms etc. ready by March of next year — it was somewhat later last year — and the publication of the schemes, which did not occur until June last, will occur in April of next year in order to provide a better service for students.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question No. 98 relates to the same matter which the Minister has answered. Clearly, there has been an inordinate delay in the preparation of this and we do not yet have the full story as to why it has been delayed. The best promise we now have is that it will be ready towards the end of January next year.

Can the Minister confirm that the extraordinarily complex and highly bureaucratic application form which is a Kafkaesque deterrence to people attempting to apply for the grant, will be included as part and parcel of the reform of this process? I welcome what the Minister stated about the revised timetable, but can she indicate that the application form, which is part and parcel of the hurdle applicants must overcome, will be simplified and that the revision of same will form part of the debate in this House when the Bill eventually comes before us in the new year?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Quinn is correct. One of the main aims behind this is to provide a greater service for students. The current problem, and the reason it is so complex, is there are four schemes, one of which, that for higher education, is on a statutory basis. However, the VEC scholarships, third level maintenance for trainees and plc grants are all on an administrative basis. The aim behind the legislation, therefore, is to provide a unified scheme and form.

It is equally important that students and applicants provide all the information required of them. There has been much criticism of VECs and councils not meeting targets, etc., but, equally, many intelligent college students submit incomplete application forms. If we can get full co-operation from both sides, it will, ultimately, be to the benefit of the students.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Does the Minister accept that the requirement to supply death or marriage certificates as part of an application is somewhat excessive?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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No, because the application is based on income. It is a means tested application and, therefore, people must have the relevant information. At all times, people try to be sensitive to the information required from people.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome another announcement the Bill is imminent. Can the Minister give any indication as to when the legislation will be implemented and when the new scheme will begin? Is there any particular reason the USI and students have been kept in the dark with regard to consultation on the proposed legislation? I am told there has been no consultation whatsoever with them. We all welcome clarity on the issue. I am sure the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's constituency office is like mine and that every year, like me, he clears a patch to deal with the significant number of inquiries on the issue.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is quite incorrect with regard to USI, which has been kept involved. As recently as the past fortnight, it has been asked for its views. It was also asked to indicate whether there were delays in individual councils or VECs around the country in the payment of grants and it has not reported any this year. Therefore, it is involved.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That is not what I was led to believe.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister's statement today that the Bill will be published in January. Could she make the heads of the Bill available to the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science before then so it can discuss the Bill with the student unions? My second question follows the line of Deputy Morgan's question. Will the Minister guarantee to the House that the new scheme will be in place for people to avail of it during next summer for the following academic year?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I do not see any point in distributing the heads of the Bill at this stage because the Bill will be published before the Dáil returns in January. That will provide ample opportunity for people to discuss it. I have indicated some of the things we will be able to do next year with regard to forms, but most likely we will still have four different schemes in operation next year.