Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 560: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the income limit for qualification for a third level grant; the expenses that can be offset against this; her plans to increase this threshold, or to permit additional set-offs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35372/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The following tables provide details of the current reckonable income limits. In relation to income thresholds prescribed under the student maintenance grant schemes, the practice in recent years has been to increase the reckonable income limits for the ordinary rate of grant by at least the annual increase in the average industrial wage in the 12 months to September of the year prior to the relevant academic year. This year, an increase of 5.3% was approved, in the reckonable income limits for the 2006/2007 academic year, as has the allowance by which the income limits may be increased for each dependant where two or more children are in further or higher education. This increase was ahead of the 3.2% increase in the relevant reference period.

The Special Rates of Maintenance Grant, usually referred to as "top-up" grants, payable to disadvantaged grant holders, were introduced with effect from the 2000/01 academic year. The annual income threshold for the special rates of maintenance grant is increased, in line with the relevant social welfare payments. The current income threshold for "top-up" is €16,748.

The means test arrangements of the Student Support Schemes have been in operation since 1983 and are applied nationally. In the case of both the employed and self-employed gross income is assessed with certain deductions for specified social welfare and health board payments. Any proposal to move to introduce a different method of means assessment system would have significant financial implications in addition to equity issues which would have to be addressed.

While I have no plans to depart, in the foreseeable future, from the current practice in relation to increases in the reckonable income limits or method of means assessment under my Department's student maintenance grant schemes, I am committed to ongoing improvements in the student support schemes including increasing the income limits, as resources permit.

Special Rate of Maintenance Grant

For the award of a special rate of maintenance grant in respect of the 2006/07 academic year, a candidate's reckonable income (for the period 1 January, 2005 to 31 December 2005, the tax year 2005) shall not exceed:

€16,748

net of standard exclusions (as set out in Clause 1 of this Scheme)

and

net of Child Dependant Increase (C.D.I.) paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs

As at 31 December 2005, this reckonable income must include one of the social welfare payments listed below.

List of Eligible Payments

1. Social Assitance Payments

Blind Person's Pension

Carer's Allowance

Deserted Wife's Allowance

Disability Allowance

Farm Assist

Lone Parent's allowance

Unemployment Assistance (where held for 391 days or more)

Old Age (Non-Contributory) Pension

One parent family payment

Orphans (Non-Contributory) pension

Pre-retirement allowance

Prisoner's Wife's Allowance

Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension.

2. Social Insurance Payments

Carer's Benefit

Deserted Wife's Benefit

Invalidity pension

Unemployability Supplement

Occupational Injuries Death Benefit (Orphan's pension)

Occupational Injuries Death Benefit (pension for a widow or widower)

Old Age Contributory Pension

Orphan's (Contributory) Allowance

Unemployment Benefit (continuous for at least 12 months)

Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension Retirement Pension

3. Family Income Supplement (FIS)

4. Designated Programmes

Back to Education Allowance Back to Work Allowance (Employees)

Back to Work Enterprise Allowance

Community Employment Scheme

FÁS Training Programmes, including Apprenticeships

Job Start

Part time job incentive scheme

Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)

5. Others

(a) In receipt of payments under the Fáilte Ireland Skills Programme equivalent to a social welfare payment;

(b) In receipt of payments under the FIT (Fastrack to IT) initiative equivalent to a social welfare payment;

(c) Participants on a training course approved by a Government Department, State Agency or Area Partnership and who were in receipt of an eligible payment prior to progressing to the programme; Grant aided employees in social economy enterprises;

(d) In receipt of payments under the Senior Traveller Training Centre programmes.