Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 514: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a review will be undertaken in the application for educational grant in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32668/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of grants schemes administered by the VECs on behalf of my Department, the position is that, generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment.

The candidate's reckonable income for the purposes of the means test is his/her gross income from all sources and the gross income of his/her parents or guardians, where applicable, with certain specified Social Welfare and Health Board Payments being exempt. Grant assistance may not be awarded in any case where the reckonable income exceeds the prescribed income limits for the award of a grant.

It is understood from Kildare VEC, the assessing authority in this case, that the candidate referred to by the Deputy was not eligible for the maintenance grant as the reckonable income in this case – i.e. the combined income from the mother's employment, Department of Social and Family Affairs payment and the student's own income — exceeded the prescribed limit for the 2005 tax year as set out in the grant scheme.

I regret that it is not possible to allow grant aid where reckonable income exceeds the prescribed limits irrespective of the particular circumstances.

I would like to take this opportunity to draw the Deputy's attention to the ESF-aided Student Assistance Fund for Third Level Institutions. The objective of this Fund is to assist students in a sensitive and compassionate manner who might otherwise, because of financial reasons, suffer severe hardship or be unable to continue their third level studies. Application for funding should be made by the student to the Access Officer in their institution. The Fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.