Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)
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Question 583: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the situation where persons (details supplied) who were grant-aided to pursue courses of higher education under the millennium partnership fund for disadvantage in the past two years are being deprived of grant aid this year due to a late application; if this will be investigated; if the grants will be awarded in this instance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34312/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The millennium partnership fund for disadvantage is one of a number of access measures recommended in the 2001 report of the action group on access to third level education. The objective of the fund is to support students from disadvantaged areas with regard to retention and participation in further and higher education courses. It provides assistance to partnership companies and community groups to develop their support schemes for students from disadvantaged families.

For the current academic year 2005-2006, the allocation for the fund is €2.05 million, which will provide support to 57 community organisations, including area partnership companies and community groups. Area Development Management, Limited, ADM, under whose aegis the partnerships operate, has administered the fund on behalf of my Department since its introduction and has continued to do so since the establishment of the national office for equity of access to higher education. More than 60 groups have implemented the millennium partnership fund at local level since its inception in 2001.

The decision on eligibility for fund is a matter for the relevant partnership or community group. In the interests of fairness and transparency, many community organisations operate a closing date for prospective applications and stipulate that they do not consider any late applications. It is understood in this case that the applications forms were submitted after the closing date for the relevant partnership group.

The students to which the Deputy refers may be eligible to apply for the student assistance fund. The objective of this fund is to assist students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. Further information on this fund is available from the student access officer at the relevant college.