John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 489: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will give a ministerial order to the local VEC to have the higher education grant for a person (details supplied) in County Sligo sanctioned in view of the fact that the person is a mature student and failed their examinations in 1997 and due to a lack of finances will have to forfeit their education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37691/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The decision on eligibility for third level or further education grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is desired. It appears that no such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy.

My Department contacted County Sligo VEC, the awarding body responsible for assessing the grant application for the student referred to by the Deputy Co. Sligo VEC confirmed that the candidate referred to has already completed 2 years of a Level 8 course from 1995 to 1997 and is now returning to College to pursue a course at a lower level under the Third Level Maintenance Grant (TLT) Scheme.

The TLT Scheme administered by the VECs on behalf of my Department provide means-tested grants to students who are, generally speaking, pursuing their first undergraduate qualification and who comply with the terms and conditions of the Scheme.

Clause 3.1 of the TLT Scheme states, inter alia, that:

This scheme applies to those who require higher level initial education and training to enhance their employment prospects in line with the Government's sectoral employment priorities and who are entering approved Middle Level Technician (MLT) or Higher Technical and Business Skills (HTBS) courses for the first time in the 2006/2007 academic year or mature candidates re-entering in order to complete such a course.

Candidates are ineligible if:

They already hold an Honours Bachelor Degree or equivalent Level 8 qualification

They have completed more than first year of an Honours Bachelor Degree or equivalent Level 8 course

they are pursuing a level 8 Honours Bachelor Degree course.

In accordance with clause 3.1 of the TLT Scheme the candidate is ineligible for grant assistance in respect of his current course in Sligo I.T.

The student referred to by the Deputy may be eligible to apply for the Student Assistance Fund. The objective of the Fund is to assist students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. Further information on this fund is available to the candidate from the Student Access Officer in Sligo I.T.

You will appreciate that the prescribed terms of my Department's Grant schemes are of general application and it is not open to me or my Department to depart from them and make exceptions in individual cases regardless of the circumstances.