Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1297: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to change the system where people's gross incomes only are taken into account when applying for their children to receive a grant to assist them in their third level education; her views on whether this is fair; and her further views on whether this should be changed where it would be based on net means, as is the case concerning medical card applications. [28982/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The assessment of means under my Department's Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes is based on gross income from all sources, with specified social welfare and health board payments being excluded from the calculation.

Under the schemes reckonable income is defined as income from

Employment/Pensions;

Self Employment/Farming;

Rent and income from Land/Property;

Deposit/Investment Accounts;

Maintenance Arrangements;

Gifts/Inheritances and Disposal of Assets and Rights;

Social Welfare in certain circumstances.

I have no plans at present to depart from the above practice in respect of the determination of income.