Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 1641: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that applicants for the Millennium Fund are not being entertained by some local area partnerships on the basis of their address due to the lack of funding to extend the fund into new locations; the action he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31162/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Millennium Partnership Fund has been in operation since 2000. The objective of the fund is to support students from disadvantaged areas with regard to retention and participation in further or higher education. Area Partnership Companies and Community Partnerships manage the fund locally. The Fund is administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department and the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education. The 2008-9 allocation of €2.180m was distributed among 56 Partnerships/community groups around the country. 4,091 students benefited from the Fund in the 2006-7 academic year.

The Millennium Partnership Fund contracts are addendums to the Local Development Social Inclusion Plans (LDSIP) contracts entered into between Partnerships and Pobal. Currently these contracts cover the existing designated areas only.

My Department is currently working with the National Access Office and Pobal in relation to the re-orientation of the Millennium Partnership Fund to support the development of a whole-community approach to equity of access to higher education. In this regard, a consultation process with community partnerships and other stakeholders is currently under way.