Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has been refused a PLC maintenance grant by County Wexford VEC on the basis that they are ineligible in their own right; the basis for this decision in circumstances where the applicant's family are not available for means assessment; if she will arrange for a review of the decision to refuse a grant in this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23421/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms and conditions of the Maintenance Grants Scheme for students attending Post Leaving Certificate Courses., which is administered by the VEC on behalf of the Department, generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment.

A mature candidate is categorised as either an independent mature student or mature student dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined to mean a mature student who is over 23 on or before 1 January of the year of entry or re-entry to an approved course and 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. When assessing the means of students other than independent mature students, the students' means and those of their parents or guardians must be below a prescribed limit. This provision requires that parental income be taken into account irrespective of the individual circumstances in any case where the student is not a mature student.

The condition relating to residency requires, in the case of a candidate under 23, the candidate's parents or guardians to have been resident in the administrative area of a Local Authority from 1 October of the previous year. In the case of an 'Independent Mature Candidate' the candidate himself/herself must have been resident in the administrative area of a Local Authority from 1 October of the previous year. The Scheme specifies that the Local Authorities have discretion to waive this requirement in exceptional circumstances.

The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority — i.e. the 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 required. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a maintenance grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the relevant local authority or VEC.

Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by the relevant local authority or VEC, and remains of the view that the body has not interpreted the schemes correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to my Department. Alternatively, as already indicated, the local authority or VEC may, itself, in exceptional circumstances, seek clarification on issues from my Department.