Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator McHugh for his kind remarks about me and apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, for her absence. I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to outline to the House the position on putting in place a more centralised facility for issuing higher education grants.

My Department currently provides third level student support through three means-tested maintenance grant schemes. The higher education grants scheme operates on a statutory basis, while the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme and the third-level maintenance grants scheme for trainees operate on an administrative basis. The statutory framework for maintenance grants under the higher education grants scheme is set out in the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts 1968 to 1992.

In accordance with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government, my Department plans to introduce a single unified scheme of maintenance grants for students in higher education. This will provide for a more coherent administration system which will facilitate consistency of application and improved client accessibility. My Department believes this is necessary if we are to ensure public confidence in the awards system and also ensure the timely delivery of grants to those who need them most.

My Department has been engaged in ongoing consultations with the key stakeholders such as the Irish Vocational Education Association, the Association of City and County and Managers, various social partners, other relevant Departments, including the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and the Revenue Commissioners to map the most logical and effective arrangements for the future structure and administration of the student support schemes.

There are major implications, including resource issues, in any proposals to change the administration of the maintenance grants schemes, and that is why there has been ongoing consultation with the stakeholders. These discussions have substantially clarified the positions of the stakeholders in relation to the future administration possibilities for student support and their possible role. My Department expects to be shortly in a position to determine the best strategy to give effect to the programme for Government commitment to the payment of the maintenance grants through a unified and flexible payment scheme.

Whatever new arrangements are eventually decided on will, as previously indicated, be provided for in new statutory arrangements through a student support Bill. This Bill, which will provide statutory underpinning for the schemes, will have as a key objective the promotion of equality of access. It is also envisaged that the Bill will provide for an independent appeals system. The timescale for the publication of the Bill is contingent on the range of issues which are the subject of the deliberations following the consultations already referred to.