Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 490: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a person returning to third level education having attended college for one year and registered for a second year is eligible for a mature student grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26417/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the candidate referred to by the Deputy previously completed more than the first year of a two-year national certificate course at Athlone IT and now has commenced a three-year ordinary degree, or national diploma, in the 2005-06 academic year at DIT. Grant assistance in respect of approved higher certificate and ordinary degree courses is awarded to eligible candidates under the terms and conditions prescribed in my Department's third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees, TLT. In general the position on tenure of grants under the TLT scheme is that a grant holder may only receive funding for the approved duration of one third level training course. Nothwithstanding this condition the scheme does, however, provide for progression in specific circumstances where, for example, a candidate who has completed a two-year higher certificate course progresses to the add-on year of a directly related ordinary degree course.

Another exception where grant assistance may be extended in respect of a subsequent TLT course would be where, following completion of a two-year higher certificate course, a candidate gets an exemption into year two of an indirectly related ordinary degree course. Funding may also be extended where trainees have passed, failed or not completed the first year of a course subsequently transfer to a different course. Such a candidate is eligible for a grant in respect of the normal duration of the new course subject to a maximum duration of four years in all. As the candidate in question has completed more than the first year of an approved TLT course he is ineligible for funding in respect of his current ordinary degree course. However, if the candidate progress to an honours degree course his eligibility for financial assistance may be considered.