Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if local development partnership based in Drogheda and Dundalk can offer financial assistance to third level students in the Ardee area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24336/04]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the action group on access to third level education, published in 2001, sets out detailed recommendations in relation to the operation of the millennium partnership fund for disadvantage which provides assistance to partnership companies and community groups to develop their support schemes for students from disadvantaged families. These partnerships and community groups operate in the most disadvantaged areas in the country with a brief to engage in local development activities to promote social and economic inclusion. Area Development Management, ADM, Limited, under whose aegis the partnerships operate, has administered the fund since its introduction in the 2001-02 academic year.

The geographical focus of the local development partnerships based in Drogheda and Dundalk is the urban or borough district council area boundaries of each of the towns respectively. Students pursuing further or higher education courses, who are from areas within each of these boundaries and who are in need of additional financial assistance to support their retention in education are eligible to apply to the respective local development partnership for millennium partnership funding. The town of Ardee is outside these boundaries and therefore outside the scope of the millennium partnership fund as managed by Drogheda or Dundalk partnership.

The educational maintenance grant schemes are available for qualifying students, including the special rate of maintenance grant for students from families on low incomes. In addition, financial support is available to students in approved third level institutions through my Department's student assistance fund. The objective of the fund is to assist those students who might, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies.