Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 306: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when the application forms will be available for college grants, especially at VEC level for the 2005-06 academic year; her views on whether it is important to low income families that they know in advance whether they are entitled to a grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21617/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The application forms and accompanying notes for the 2005-06 academic year in respect of the third level maintenance grant were issued electronically to each local authority and VEC on 31 March 2005 and were delivered were delivered by courier in early April. I am assured by the awarding authorities that they endeavour to process grant applications as speedily as possible and issue grant payments to eligible students as early as possible in the academic year.

I share the Deputy's concern about the importance of all grant applicants, particularly those from low income families, being advised at the earliest possible date about their entitlement to a maintenance grant. I am taking steps to ensure that the application forms and accompanying notes as well as the schemes governing the award of the grants are made available to the awarding authorities earlier than has been the practice hitherto. I have also asked the awarding authorities to expedite the processing of grant applications. An important contributory factor in this regard will be the extent to which applicants provide all necessary information with their application forms.

In so far as the issue of student awareness of the availability of and eligibility requirements for grants is concerned, steps have been taken by my Department to improve the information flow to prospective third level students. These steps include the issue of information to the schools in January each year and, in co-operation with the CAO, the issue of an information sheet on the student grants to each applicant for admission to third level through the CAO system.