Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 448: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will provide a detailed breakdown on a yearly basis since 1998 of the funding provided to an organisation. [31980/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In 1998, the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme was established and the Government agreed to contribute an endowment of IR£2 million to the Programme. The purpose of the Programme is to enable highly qualified American students to attend third level institutions in Ireland for post graduate studies.

The George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act was enacted in December 1998 and it empowered the Minister for Education and Science to establish the Fund in the United States and to enter into agreement with persons to manage and control the Fund. The Agreement for the management of the Fund was signed with the US-Ireland Alliance in March 1999 and my Department paid the IR£2 million endowment in that year. No further payments in this regard have been made by my Department to date.

The income from the Fund provides for the establishment and administration of the Programme as well as two scholarships per annum. The US-Ireland Alliance also secures additional funding from other sources which enables the Programme to expand the number of scholarships offered annually.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of students who actually came here under a scholarship programme (details supplied); and the number of students who benefited from the programme, giving details on an annual basis since the introduction of the scholarship. [31981/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since the commencement of the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme, a total of 93 US students have been awarded George Mitchell scholarships and have undertaken postgraduate studies in third level institutes in Ireland North and South. The breakdown for each academic year is as follows: