Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 369: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a course in an institution (details supplied) is not approved by her Department for the higher education grant scheme; her plans to review this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43679/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Higher Education Grants Scheme operates under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. An approved institution is defined to mean a university, college or other institution of higher education in so far as it provides a course, or courses, of not less than two years duration at Undergraduate level and not less than one years duration at Postgraduate level, being a course or courses of which the Minister for Education and Science approves for the time being for the purposes of the Acts.

The Higher Education Grants Scheme specifies a list of approved institutions for the purposes of the Scheme. The approved institutions are mainly comprised of publicly funded third level institutions. In this regard, the Fitzwilliam Institute is a private college and is not on the list of approved institutions for the purpose of the scheme.

Any general extension to the scope of the grants scheme to include private colleges such as The Fitzwilliam Institute can be considered only in the light of available resources and in the context of competing demands and priorities within the education sector. There are no plans at present to extend the scope of the student support schemes to private colleges.