Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 860: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that County Wexford VEC has refused a higher education grant to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford on the basis that they are unable to provide a utility bill to vouch that they reside independently of their parents; if her attention has further been drawn to the fact that it is commonplace for a rented house shared by several people to have utility bills in the name of one tenant only; if in such circumstances written confirmation from a landlord will suffice as evidence of tenancy for grant purposes; the way she will ensure that her Department's rules do not disadvantage legitimate applicants who cannot comply with the utility bill requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14665/07]

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. These Acts define a mature student to mean a person "of not less than 23 years of age, or such other age as may stand specified for the time being in regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, who have secured places in approved institutions and have reached that age on the 1st day of January, or such other date as may be prescribed from time to time by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, in the year of entry to such institutions".

Mature students are categorised as either independent mature students or mature students dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined to mean a mature student who was not ordinarily resident at home with his/her parents from the October preceding their entry to an approved course. Independent mature students are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address.

In order to establish that a candidate is an independent mature student documentary evidence is required as proof of a candidate's ordinary/ permanent address from the 1st October of the year preceding entry to college. Examples of the type of documentary evidence, which would establish residence, are as follows:

(i) Utility bills such as telephone, gas, E.S.B.

(ii) Evidence of registration with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (P.R.T.B.)

(iii) Official Documentation from any Government Department e.g. Social Welfare or Revenue (if any).

The awarding authorities are obliged to satisfy themselves beyond doubt that an acceptable degree of proof is submitted by the grant applicant in establishing eligibility under all aspects of the Schemes. To-date the evidence submitted, by the student referred to by the Deputy, to confirm independent status did not satisfy the requirements of the awarding authority.