Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Unfortunately, the Minister of State did not respond to the questions I raised. I know his speech was drafted by departmental officials, but what does the Minister of State or the Department say to students who cannot sit their mid-term exams next week? Students at third level colleges cannot get books out of the library or use college computers. They may need to drop out of college because they have had no assistance from the State, from September to January, to which they are entitled.

There is a simple solution to this, which is why I want the Minister of State to work with me and be a bit imaginative. The Department of Education and Science should issue an immediate instruction to universities and institutes of technology that all students should be temporarily registered in the meantime until local authorities and VECs have dealt with the backlog. The education of these students is at stake because they cannot sit their exams. I am not happy with the position on grant payments, but if they could sit exams and have access to the necessary educational materials, it would be a positive outcome. Will the Minister of State raise with the Minister as soon as possible the idea of temporarily registering all students who have applied to VECs or local authorities for funding but who have not yet received a decision on their applications?