Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 520: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, further to Question No. 583 of 14 February 2006, if she will supply data on the socio-economic background of persons in receipt of third level grants for 2002-03, 2003-04 and, if available, 2004-05; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13387/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In my reply to Question No. 583 of 14 February 2006 in respect of the availability of a statistical breakdown of grant holders by socio-economic background, I referred to the fact that limited indicative data on the socio-economic background of grantholders have been collected in the past on the higher education grants scheme only. My Department's student support unit is currently in the process of collating information on students who were awarded grants under the higher education grants scheme for the academic year 2004-05 from the returns which have been submitted to date by the local authorities.

Unfortunately a number of returns are outstanding for 2002-03 and 2003-04 which the Department is currently pursuing with the local authorities and the County and City Managers' Association. Despite this and to avoid any further delay, we are arranging to have the available data provided to the Deputy directly. It is our intention that this information will issue to the Deputy in the coming days in respect of 2002-03 and 2003-04. This indicative data are subject to considerable qualification in relation to their reliability due to, inter alia, the level of undeclared status amongst the returns from the local authorities.

Following consultations with the Irish Vocational Education Association, new arrangements were introduced in 2005 to compile a more comprehensive statistical breakdown of grantholders under the schemes administered by the VECs. This complements arrangements in place in respect of the higher education grants scheme.

It is regrettable that the information in respect of the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 academic years was unavailable to the Deputy following the previous parliamentary question. When the complete returns for the academic years 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 are available, the information will be made available to the Deputy.