Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 239: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason the millennium fund has been transferred from the area partnerships to the Higher Education Authority; the way in which the new scheme will be advertised to potential persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11301/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The national office for equity of access to higher education proposed by the action group on access to third level education has been established within the Higher Education Authority and has been fully operational since February 2004. The remit of the national office is to facilitate inclusive and equitable access to higher education from under-represented groups and promote improved participation by students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, students with a disability and mature "second-chance" students. The national office is now responsible for access measures formerly handled by the Department, namely, the student assistance fund, the fund for students with disabilities and the millennium partnership fund for disadvantage.

Area Development Management, ADM, Limited, under whose aegis the area partnerships operate, has administered the fund since its introduction in the 2001-02 academic year and has continued to do so since the establishment of the national office. The millennium partnership fund for disadvantage provides assistance to partnership companies and community groups to develop their own support schemes for students from disadvantaged families.

The national office has commenced a review of all existing spending programmes to widen access. A review of the millennium fund was commissioned by the national access office as part of the overall review of funding programmes which is being carried out as part of the national plan for achieving equity of access to higher education. A report has been prepared and is being examined by the national office for equity of access in the context of its overall review of funding programmes.