Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

A great number of students depend on grants to remain in college. Some are unable to cover their fees due to the delay in payments. We must implement a fast payment method for these students. I welcome that the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills acknowledged in the Dáil that the current system is fragmented. However, her admission that it was a priority for her at Cabinet tells its own story given that the legislation is not yet enacted.

Research by the USI indicates that a unified system of payments would bring savings of approximately €5 million per annum. Grants are the sole source of income for almost 70,000 students. There is a shortage of part-time employment. I am labouring the issue of grants because it is important. Families are coming under pressure because registration fees have increased, accommodation costs have to be met and food has to be purchased. My office is on Glasheen Road, which is adjacent to UCC, and I regularly meet students. They need their grants to be paid quickly. At a time of economic worries, they are doing the best they can to graduate with good degrees or diplomas. The process must ease their anxieties rather than add to them. I am concerned that the new system will not be more efficient. The cut of 4% to the student grant rate represents yet another blow against Irish students. It means a significant reduction in the money available to students and their families. Their parents were hit by other taxation measures in the budget and the cost of going to college has increased. That creates a disincentive for people to go to college.

We must never prevent people from returning to education in any shape or form. I was a director of adult education prior to becoming a Senator. The importance for mature students of returning to education cannot be overemphasised. If we lose that model, we will be in a poor position at a time when we look to build the smart economy. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, claimed he did great work to promote research and development. We must make education accessible to people.

One third of students depend on the student grant. What does that say about the Government's economic policies? If we are cutting money here and streamlining there, the grants process must be a catalyst for education. We have a well earned reputation for third level education and fourth level research and development. If we are to trade on our reputation as a well educated and skilled workforce, investment in education must be a priority.

I am concerned about the appeals process provided for in the Bill. The consideration period of 90 days is too long and should be reduced by half. The Minister proposes a more efficient system that includes much speedier processing of applications. I do not see why the appeals process should be any different. A student who is refused a grant in October should not have to wait until Christmas or longer to find out whether he or she will have the necessary support to remain in college. I know of a student who had difficulty with a grant and had to opt out of UCC this week. It took from October to January for a decision.

We must put in place supports which will allow students to remain in college. The change in the criteria which will mean that mature students will no longer qualify for the non-adjacent rate of the grant is also troubling. The increase in the qualifying distance between the student's home and college for the non-adjacent rate has also increased from 24 km to 45 km and the change in criteria will ensure another cut in the grant for many students.

Another new provision is the residency requirement which means an applicant must be resident in this State for three years of the previous five years. That will exclude many people who have had to leave our shores to find work elsewhere. When they want to come home, they will find that they are precluded from getting State assistance to enter education. That is worth addressing.

Deputy O'Dowd put forward different proposals regarding the one-stop-shop payments and entitlements service, which will act as a single point of contact for citizens making claims and which will cut the cost of administration and reduce the waiting time for grant distribution.

The Bill is welcome as we need a unified grant scheme and to allow access to education to continue. I note the IVEA's letter of concern regarding the policy and I understand from where it is coming. The VECs carried out considerable work and were very proficient in what they undertook. Through their general secretary, they put forward a very comprehensive briefing document which I am sure the Minister of State will consider and refer to in his concluding remarks.

It is important to acknowledge that we must speed up the grant payment. We cannot allow students to live in poverty and allow people to drop out of college because that is what is happening in some cases. The Minister will note that the student representative bodies have welcomed the single agency to deal with grants and the appeals board. However, the timeframe for the appeals board must be tightened.

It is important to welcome the Bill and, if we can, amend it in order to improve it. It is also incumbent on all of us to ensure that those people attend third colleges to which access is open to all and that investment in education is not diluted further. If we continue to erode third level education, we are not planning for the future.

At at time when we are experiencing an economic crisis, we must look forward and sow the seeds of recovery. The seeds of that recovery can be sown through our graduates who are currently located in the four corners of the world. There is a duty on us as legislators and on the Minister to try to entice them back. I am a former teacher and meet pupils who want to come home but there are no opportunities here for them currently and that must change.