David Norris (Independent)

I understand. I am very happy to welcome the Minister of State to the House and I am sure he will pass on whatever substantial remarks are made during the remaining part of this debate. This is a significant matter, particularly for students who are under financial pressure. With the greatest goodwill in the world, the grant system has been fairly chaotic. The Minister in her speech made it clear that there were anomalies and that individual students suffered hardship as a result. I have called for this legislation for quite a long time and the latest mention I found of it was on 25 November 2010 on the Order of Business when I appealed to the Government to introduce and pass this legislation as rapidly as possible.

I pay tribute to the work of the Library and Research Service which once again has produced excellent material about the Bill in terms of the briefing document. It is important that we recognise that it does excellent work in framing this legislation but the briefing document we received is substantially out of date, although not necessarily its content because the outlines are perfectly all right, but, when one considers that since 2008 three Ministers have been charged with producing this Bill and a vast number of reports on this area have been produced. There was the report of the advisory committee on third level student support — the Butler report in 1993, the Report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education in 2001 — the McNamara report, and the report on supporting equity in higher education in 2003, and so on. It is not surprising that in this document there is reference to the hope that it would be introduced in time to benefit the students of the 2009-10 academic year. This is certainly not something that has been rushed. It is timely and in the light of the fact that the Government will shortly be out of office — of that there is no doubt — this is a positive contribution to that exit and it provides for a streamlined administration, which is very welcome. It also for the first time provides for a proper statutory basis for these grants and that is very much to be welcomed.

Turning to the Minister's speech, she indicated the pressing need for an administrative system that suits equally all students. She gave an example of two students from different parts of the country who sit beside each other in a lecture in college and said that it is important that they get the grant at the same time. That is absolutely true. I have voluminous correspondence from various representative bodies for students indicating that last year some of them did not get their first tranche of the payment until April, whereas some of them got it straight away. On a very basic principle of justice, that is completely wrong. It is appropriate for it to be addressed.

The difficulties posed are partly because of the multiplicity of granting organisations, of which I understand there are currently, before the passage of this Bill, 66. This will be halved to 33 and, clearly, that must represent an efficiency. The Minister was gracious in her speech and she did not use this to belabour the existing 66 authorities, rather she paid tribute to them and the work they have done. I welcome the fact that she did so. However, the situation is changing because ten years ago, as the Minister pointed out, there were 50,000 students in receipt of grants, while this year there will be 70,000 students in receipt of them and on top of that the financial employment situation means that there will be greater pressure upon the system because increasingly more students will decide that it is their interests to go into third level education rather than attempt to find a job straight off.

As I am in a generally positive frame of mind, I also welcome the preliminary moves that have been made before the introduction of the provisions of the Bill because they include a significant modernisation of the technology involved. First, there is the introduction of a new and simplified application form with explanatory notes. I abominate forms. I hate filling out forms; I often make mistakes in them. I recently had to fill out the return for the Ethics in Public Office Act and I put a figure of €7,000 in the wrong column, so it appeared I was volunteering to pay the Government that amount rather than looking for it. I can make a mistake like that and I am a reasonably intelligent person. The forms should be as simple and clear as possible so students do not make mistakes that create difficulties later on. An online facility for the 11 grant awarding authorities has been rolled out. That should be the norm in the entire system because this generation operates that way; it is completely computer literate. It is easy and can be done quickly and efficiently. There is also the question of electronic funds transfer that would allow for grants to be paid directly into the student's bank account.

The three most significant elements of this Bill are the introduction of a single, unified grant scheme to replace four existing schemes; that will get rid of anomalies. The single national grant awarding body is also established under the Bill. Finally, the independent appeals body is introduced. I like the idea of an independent appeals body and I like the flexibility it involves. I noted when I was reading the Bill that in certain circumstances, if a student misses a deadline for an appeal, he or she can make a case for the deadline to be extended by a calendar month. That is useful because there could be circumstances in which, for one reason or another, a student does not make the appeal on time. For the first time we have a proper independent appeals authority and, second, the appeals authority is flexible and student-centred.

I have had some criticism of the Bill, particularly from the vocational education authorities; they are concerned that there is reduction of their status. I am sure the Minister of State will address those concerns in his concluding remarks because doubtless the IVEA has made its concerns known to him. I understand the group's position, however, because any group being rationalised always experiences a certain amount of pain and regret for the past. While I sympathise on a human level, and while it makes me say it was even more important for the Minister to pay tribute to the work done by the existing bodies in difficult circumstances and without the technology and support that is now being introduced, this Bill goes in the right direction and I commend the Government and the Minister for introducing it. I hope it passes swiftly, perhaps it could even conclude within the next week, because students need it.

There has been briefing after briefing in Buswell's Hotel on this urgent issue. I fully support the students on this for practical reasons of politics and tactics. I explained to them at the same time that on fees I took a more nuanced position. I have no doubt fees are coming and in evidence I point to reports like the Hunt report. I saw this coming three years ago and I have spoken at length about it since then; I do not want to do so again as a codicil to Second Stage of this Bill. I believe in full and free access to education from primary to third level for all citizens but I am a realist and I understand that we cannot have the Scandinavian model without Scandinavian taxes to support it. To date the Irish people have not voted for that tax model. I also believe in a free and universally accessible health system but without the support of a tax system we cannot have it. In the meantime, scarce resources must be directed towards the most vulnerable in society and towards those who need it most. I would prefer for it to be universal and free but it never has been and until we revise our tax system, it never will be.

I understand the grant awarding authority will start operating soon on a transitional basis before kicking in properly by 2013. The sooner the better, as far as I am concerned. I am supported in this by every student body. The student body of Trinity College states that currently students are left waiting for grant payments well into the academic year. Last year there were students waiting until April to receive the first grant instalment. This is a massive issue as students are struggling to pay for accommodation and food as they await their grant. The Bill also allows for the amalgamation of the 66 grant awarders to one centralised body. If the Bill is not passed and the grants are late again, some students will be unable to pay for rent and food. These are basic elements.

I would like to advert to a particular situation and ask the Minister of State if he would be kind enough to bring this question to the attention of the Minister. As things stand, certain recognised third level institutions are excluded from the provisions of the Bill. Griffith College is a particular example. It is a fine institution. I have spoken at a series of debates there and have had engagement with members of staff, particularly in the legal department, and there are some fine lecturers there along with highly intelligent and gifted students. They are excluded from this grant. There is a mechanism in the Bill by which such colleges may be recognised. Will the Minister of State find out if Griffith College will be recognised? It is important that it should be.

It is excluded because it is recognised as a private commercial college, which makes the students ineligible for the grant. The students come from a variety of backgrounds and a number of them are clearly in need of this sort of support. It looks like a certain type of discrimination that is not acceptable in a republic in 2011. Griffith College offers many courses to students through the CAO system so it is already involved in part of the machinery. In addition, the fact that it is a commercial college produces yet another anomaly. Students at the Law Society of Ireland in Blackhall Place, where solicitors are trained, and the Honourable Society of Kings Inns, where barristers are trained, are fee-paying, but they are not automatically excluded from applying for a grant which may be received on the basis of an individual student's circumstances. Most of those entering these august institutions, namely, those going for the bar or to be solicitors, usually come from established and financially comfortable backgrounds. It would be wrong if we allowed the anomaly to continue. Whereas well-heeled individuals can obtain access to education and obtain grants, students at institutions such as Griffith College are precluded in this regard. My point refers to section 8 of the Bill which presents a possibility to provide for redress. I ask that the problem be addressed for all of the colleagues in the anomalous circumstances I describe, particularly at Griffith College.

I mentioned the Hunt report, in respect of which my point represents a side issue. However, I note with some satisfaction that the report provides for the upgraded recognition of certain third level colleges which do not currently have university status. There are a number in this category, one of which has been very effective, namely, Waterford Institute of Technology which has conducted internationally renowned research into diseases of the eye, including macro degeneration of the retina, for example. I would very much like to see the college recognised fully as a technical university. I am sure it is already included in respect of the payment of grants.

I welcome the significant advance made which every student and student body will welcome. I urge the House and the Minister of State to afford the Bill as quick a passage as possible in order that it will come into operation with maximum speed such that students and parents under great pressure in these very difficult economic times can be facilitated. We heard on the wireless today about people cancelling their VHI policies and about a family with a child recovering from swine flu that had no cooking capacity because its electricity and gas supply had been cut off. In such circumstances, when families are suffering, what conditions are the students likely to be in?

As a politician, I always refer to my "final word" and then have another. In this instane my final word may be irrelevant. I remember the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, when he first entered the other House and the very effective speech he made about the conditions in which some of his constituents in Ballymun were living. I would like him to leave this House with a slightly sideways thought, namely, whether we could ask the Government to reinstate the moratorium on the cutting off of the gas and electricity supply of persons who find it impossible to pay for them. I understand the moratorium is coming or has come to an end. I know this is not directly germane to the Bill, but it is directly relevant to the lives of ordinary people.