Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 292: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the earnings index and the price index used in adjusting the value of the maintenance grant and the income thresholds of higher education grants; and the estimated cost in 2009 of raising levels and thresholds by 4.5% for the 2009/10 academic year. [33165/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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It has been my Department's practice in recent years to increase the reckonable income limits under the maintenance grant schemes in line with movements in the average industrial wage. The income limits for the academic year 2008/2009 for the standard rate of maintenance grant have been increased by 2.8% on the basis of the increase in the average industrial wage for the period September 2006 to September 2007. Increasing the reckonable income limits in line with the average industrial wage is regarded as being essentially cost neutral.

In relation to the rates of maintenance grant, the practice in previous years was to track increases in the consumer price index. It is estimated that an increase of 4.5% in the level of the standard maintenance grant would involve an additional full-year cost of approximately €2.1m based on our estimated number of grantholders.