James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the timeframe for the transfer of higher education grants from county councils to VECs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23069/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may already be aware, I plan to introduce a single unified scheme of maintenance grants for students and to consolidate the administration of this unified grants scheme in the VEC sector. This will, I believe, provide for a more coherent administrative system. The scheme, which will be underpinned by a new Student Support Bill, will facilitate consistency of application, improved client accessibility and timely delivery of grants.

The Student Support Bill is at an advanced stage of preparation, and I hope to be in a position to publish it shortly.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 277: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if parents of Irish born children are eligible for education grants or assistance for return to college or education; if not the reason for same; the further reason this situation differs from parents of children who are refugee or asylum seeking applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23095/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the Higher Education Grants Scheme, the Vocational Education Committees' Scholarships Scheme, the Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees and the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate Courses.

The Higher Education Grants Scheme is administered by the Local Authorities. The other three schemes are administered by the Vocational Education Committees. Under the terms of the maintenance grants scheme grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, means and previous academic attainment.

The Nationality requirement as set out in the 2007 Grant schemes states:-Candidates must:

hold E.U. Nationality; or

have Official Refugee Status; or

have been granted Humanitarian Leave to Remain in the State (prior to the Immigration Act 1999); or

be a person in respect of whom the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has granted permission to remain following a determination not to make a deportation order under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999; or

have permission to remain in the State by virtue of marriage to an Irish national residing in the State, or be the child of such person, not having EU nationality; or

have permission to remain in the State by virtue of marriage to a national of another EU Member State who is residing in the State and who is or has been employed, or self-employed, in the State, or be the child of such a person, not having EU nationality; or

be nationals of a member country of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

A non-EU national who has been granted permission to remain in the State on the basis of an Irish born child does not comply with the above conditions and is ineligible for grant assistance under the nationality requirement of the Schemes. Likewise, those in the asylum seeking process, and their children, do not satisfy the nationality requirement of the Schemes.

Any extension to the scope of the maintenance grants schemes can be considered only in the light of available resources and in the context of competing demands within the education sector.