Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, and compliment him and the Government on grasping the nettle on this very important and urgent change to the system for processing third level grants. I note the commitment to providing a speedy and effective service that will be seen to be fair.

Senator Norris spoke eloquently about how many students were disadvantaged by being in college for almost a full term or more before receiving grant assistance. It is important to remember that many of them come from less well-off and, in many cases, disadvantaged homes. The students affected are those for whom going to a third level institution presents a huge challenge in the first instance. It is to their credit that the families concerned are determined that their children will have access to third level education. However, when the students concerned gain access to third level, they find themselves in the invidious position of being on an unequal footing by comparison with students from better-off homes, for whom third level does not present such a challenge. We all have anecdotal evidence of students living in very distressed circumstances until they are almost half way through their first term in college. Their parents are forced to borrow money, sometimes from moneylenders, in order to give them a fair chance. It is important, therefore, that the Bill is passed speedily and that the new system comes into effect and works well.

There are aspects of the Bill I would like to highlight. The establishment of the statutory appeals procedure is welcome. It was always very difficult for a student who had been refused a grant to appeal the decision in the office where he or she had been initially refused, possibly with the same officers dealing with the case. In the Bill it is proposed that a different officer deal with such cases and that, if appealed again, they should be submitted to an independent agency. This is a good step forward, as people will have confidence in the system. No one likes to be refused, but if the refusal of one's application was explained properly and it was shown that there had been an objective re-examination of the case, it might make it easier to accept.

I welcome the fact that there will be a run-off period before the existing system is replaced by the new one. The system will obviously require some tweaking as progress is made. It is important that the system in place for existing students is allowed to run its course. I welcome the fact that the Bill envisages the new system applying only to students who begin next term.

I welcome the re-examination of the residential qualification which has been a huge bugbear for local authorities and vocational education authorities. I refer to students applying from counties in which they do not officially reside, etc. The section dealing with this issue is very important.

Some aspects of the Bill are a little puzzling and I hope the Minister of State will be able to clarify one or two issues. I believe that in 2006 the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, seemed to imply that all third level grant applications would be processed by VECs. It was implied that local authorities, county councils, would be phased out of the system and that the VECs would operate on their own. Perhaps the Minister of State will correct me on this if I am wrong. The set of proposals made in the Bill is very different. We must ask which body will ultimately be selected to become the single granting authority. There has been considerable expertise in VECs during the years. That I was a councillor and vice chairman of the VEC in County Kerry for a number of years informs my thinking on the matter. That expertise must not be lost. Whatever system is introduced and no matter which body will have overarching authority, I would still like to see a role for VECs. I do not know how this would work; I am just making the suggestion. The Minister of State accepts that the existing grant giving authorities have done a good job, although we have all had complaints about the process being drawn out.

Senator Norris referred to the filling in of application forms. As a public representative my heart dropped when a parent or student came to ask for assistance in filling in an application form for a third level grant. It was a full day's work.

One needed to be careful. Someone could make a living out of it, given that many people, including well educated people, require help with filling out the forms. I hope the new system will be simplified. That it is online and students are clued in will make the process easier and faster. I look forward to this aspect.

Given that the local authorities and VECs were doing all of this work, it makes sense to remove one of them from the equation. It is ridiculous that someone attending University College Dublin, UCD, or Trinity needs to go to a county or city council to have his or her application processed whereas someone attending an institute of technology needs to go across the street to a different organisation. It makes no sense that both bodies do the same type of work. Any move away from such duplication is a step in the right direction.

Another aspect gives me some concern. The Bill envisages the single authority as a statutory public body. This is important, given the great faith the Irish have in the prudence and probity of our public service and public servants. This standard must be maintained in whatever system is introduced by the Bill. However, the envisaged authority would be able to farm out some of the work in certain circumstances. I have concerns in this regard. I would be anxious to ensure the same high standards expected of public servants would obtain in any private organisation. Many applications contain sensitive information about incomes, social welfare payments and matrimonial issues such as separation, divorce and so on. One needs to have confidence in whatever private organisation takes on the work.

I assume the Tánaiste envisages a serious cost saving through the centralisation measures, which is welcome in these straitened times. Sometimes centralisation can be counterproductive. For example, when the application process for medical cards was centralised, people found the service unsatisfactory for a time. They have since come to terms with it. I hope the new measures will be eased in properly.

I welcome the Bill broadly but I have certain reservations about the involvement of private companies in family situations. Whatever authority is preferred, I hope the VECs' record of service will be cherished, respected and utilised.