Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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A Cheann Comhairle, I first raised this matter after a visit to the Labour Party advice centre that I run on Saturdays by a young student, Naoise McDonagh, on 30 January 2010. On 10 February, you allowed me to raise the matter on the Adjournment. The same Minister of State was here on that evening. I pointed out the consequences of removing support, as had been announced in the budget, from those who had a reasonable expectation that they had started on the reconstruction of their lives. Students who had taken an access course to prepare themselves for a degree course had every expectation that, if they were successful in the, sometimes, difficult task of getting through the access course, they could proceed to an undergraduate course. Suddenly and half way through their access course, they were told they could not receive the back to education allowance as well as their unemployment benefit or allowance.

They were, of course, devastated. I raised the matter on 10 February. They came to the Joint Committee on Education and Science on 20 May 2010 and made a positive proposal based on the simple fact that a person who is a graduate has a much better chance of becoming employed than a person who is not. They presented a researched proposal of what the savings to the State would be by making people like themselves more employable. The joint committee appeared to agree with them but the only concession that could be made was that individual hardship cases might be considered by the Minister for Social Protection. Here I am on 27 May, raising this issue again. What message does this give?

Appearing before the joint committee, the spokesperson gave three examples. The first was a woman with five children who does a round trip of 80 km to go back to education and reconstruct her life. The second was a man with three children who is doing the same thing and the third was a single man of 27. The 27 year old man said he had worked as a construction worker, found he was able to understand complex tasks and decided that, perhaps, he should go back and improve himself and qualify. He did that through the access course. Half way through the access course he was told he would not get the student maintenance grant and the back to education allowance.

The Minister for Finance, when responding to our letter regarding the drawing of ministerial pensions by Members of the Oireachtas when we proposed a single action that would affect everyone, said people had a reasonable expectation of a benefit to which they had contributed. These students had a reasonable expectation that, having gone to the access course, they could continue to a third level course and qualify.

Of 200 recently surveyed, between the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and the National University of Ireland Galway, 100 suggested that they may drop out. What message does that send? In February, the Minister of State read a statement on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, and made reference to the four different sources of assistance the State gives to students. There is a €5 million student assistance fund for distressed students which covers 170,000 students. In Galway alone last year, 800 students applied for assistance and 400 got some form of assistance. The idea of saying that because that fund is there one can scrap this opportunity of returning to qualification is nonsense.

Let us look at what the students themselves suggested, for example, a mature student supplement. I think the Minister of State is a practical person. Consider a person who is receiving €196 per week, has dependants and must travel to avail of education. The man who came to me last week travels to college from a place in the middle of Connemara where there is no bus service. He has gone through all the difficulty of getting half way through his course and takes the extra cost of travel. One might say he can get a €500 book allowance, but this is all nonsense.

I appeal to the Minister of State to encourage those students who go to the trouble of going back to education, often having the experience of unemployment in the construction industry, rather than penalise them and force them to finance their education out of their meagre €196 per week. This is so outrageous.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills.

I wish to thank the Deputy for giving me this opportunity to outline the position of the Department of Education and Skills in relation to changes announced in the budget in relation 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 of Education and Skills funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are 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.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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This is, verbatim, the answer given on 10 February.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I am responding on behalf of the Minister-----

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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The Minister changes but the script remains the same.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The higher education grant scheme is administered by local authorities. There are three schemes 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, BTEA, and associated payments is determined and administered by the Department of Social Protection and is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection.

The Deputy will appreciate that, in the context of the current economic circumstances, difficult choices had to be made by the Government in order to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. It was decided to discontinue the practice of allowing students to hold both the BTEA and a student maintenance grant simultaneously as this represents a duplication of income support payments. It was decided to discontinue the practice of allowing students to hold both the back-to-education 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. However, 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 back-to-education allowance are not automatically entitled to a maintenance grant. However, all students, currently in receipt of the back-to-education allowance or VTOS allowances and the maintenance grant will continue to be eligible for both payments for the duration of their current course provided that they continue to meet the terms and conditions of the schemes.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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But not those on the Access course.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Students progressing to a new course, with effect from the 2010-11 academic year, will no longer be eligible for student maintenance grants in addition to back-to-education allowance or VTOS support, but can apply for assistance under the student grant schemes towards the cost of the student services charge and any fees payable.

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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It was part of the undergraduate preparation.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Access courses are generally organised by individual institutions and are not approved courses under the terms and conditions of the student grant schemes. The Higher Education Authority recently estimated the number of students currently on full-time Access courses at some 369.

As these are not approved courses, students on Access courses in the 2009-10 academic year would not be in receipt of a student maintenance grant. In addition, progression from an Access course to a degree course is not a continuation of the same course and therefore students progressing from an Access course to an approved course-----

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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That is pure theology now.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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-----would not be eligible to hold the back-to-education allowance and a student maintenance grant for the 2010-11 academic year onwards.

Apart from the maintenance grants schemes and the free fees initiative, financial support is also available to students in approved third level institutions through the student assistance fund. The objective of the fund is to assist students in a sensitive and compassionate manner,-----

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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There is €5 million for 170,000 students.

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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-----who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. Some €5 million is available through this fund, which is disbursed at college level. Information on the fund is available from the Access officer at a candidate's college.

Regarding the recent presentation made at the Joint Committee on Education and Science by Access students, I understand it was proposed that the recommendations made by the visiting delegation be sent to the Ministers for Social Protection, Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, and Education and Skills. When these recommendations are received, I am sure that responses will issue as appropriate. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.