David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1074: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the maximum amount of holiday earnings which a third level student can earn before affecting the amount of higher education grant for which they will be eligible; when this amount was last raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2568/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The assessment of means under my Department's third level student support schemes is based on gross income from all sources of the candidate and his/her parents/guardians, where applicable, with certain social welfare and health service executive payments being exempt.

Clause 13 of the Higher Education Grant Scheme deals with the declaration of income and other information. The clause includes the following: "A declaration of reckonable income shall be made by the candidate and the candidate's parents or guardians or, in the case of an independent mature candidate, by the candidate and the candidate's spouse, if applicable, and they shall submit to the Local Authority such information and documentation as may be required by it to process the application in full. It will be the responsibility of candidates to ensure that the statement of income and other details sought is full and complete in every respect. If a candidate's failure to provide this full and complete information be the result of a deliberate material omission or inaccuracy, the candidate(s) shall be liable to prosecution, loss of grant and repayment, with interest, of any portion of a grant already received."

It is necessary, therefore, that information regarding all income, including that from after school/weekend employment, is accounted for when completing the grant application form. However, in the assessment of means, allowance is made for "holiday earnings" on the part of the candidate. Under the terms of the Scheme's holiday earnings are considered as a candidate's reasonable earnings from employment outside of term time. At present holiday earnings of up to €3,810 are excluded in the calculation of reckonable income for grant purposes. This threshold is currently under review, together with the overall income eligibility thresholds and rates of grant, as part of the annual review of student grants schemes undertaken by my Department.