Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 808: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the fact that family income supplement payments are excluded in the calculation of reckonable income for higher education grant purposes, she will extend this to exclude farm assist payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20885/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The assessment of means under my Department's Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes is based on gross income from all sources, with specified social welfare and Health Service Executive payments being excluded from the calculation.

The following Social Welfare and Health Service Executive payments are excluded in the calculation of reckonable income: Child Benefit; Family Income Supplement; Disability Allowance (where paid to the candidate); Blind Pension (where paid to the candidate); Means Tested One Parent Family Payments; Guardian's Pension (Previously known as Orphan's Pension); Back to Education Allowance; Foster Care Allowance; Domiciliary Care Allowance; Carer's Allowance.

I have no plans at present to depart from the above practice in respect of the determination of income.