John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 471: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a grant for a PLC course at a college (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will be approved for a person; and if she will expedite a response. [36758/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds three means-tested maintenance grant schemes in respect of students attending approved courses in approved third level institutions and one maintenance grants scheme in respect of students attending approved post-leaving certificate courses in approved PLC centres: the higher education grants scheme; the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme; the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees; and the maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses.

Generally speaking, all four schemes prescribe similar conditions which preclude students from grant assistance in respect of a repeat period of study at the same level or in respect of a course at a lower level than a course previously pursued, irrespective of whether a grant was previously awarded.

Clause 6.3.6 of the Department's maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses provides as follows: "Grants may not be paid in respect of a second period of attendance at the same level for a course approved for the purposes of this scheme, irrespective of whether or not a grant was paid previously. The vocational education committee will have discretion to waive this provision in exceptional circumstances such as certified serious illness". This discretion would generally only be applied where the candidate is repeating a period of study on the same course.

Under the terms of the 2005 PLC scheme, grants are available to eligible candidates who are entering approved PLC courses for the first time in 2005-06. Generally speaking, candidates are ineligible for grant assistance if they already hold a qualification at FETAC level 5 or FETAC level 6 or a third level qualification at national certificate, national diploma, degree, postgraduate or equivalent level. In addition, candidates who have previously pursued, but not successfully completed, a PLC course are ineligible for grant assistance in respect of any subsequent PLC course. However, notwithstanding these conditions candidates who already hold an award no higher than FETAC level 5 and who subsequently pursue another PLC course at a higher level may be deemed eligible for grant aid.

My Department understands the candidate to whom the Deputy refers has previously commenced a PLC course at FETAC level 5 in September 2003 and left in March 2004 without having obtained a terminal qualification. The student is currently pursuing a further PLC course at FETAC level 5, a different course from that previously attended. Accordingly, under the prescribed conditions of the PLC scheme, the student in question is ineligible for grant assistance in respect of her current PLC course.