Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 163: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will explain what constitutes out of term time in relation to the calculation of reckonable income for a student grant application; if income earned at weekends is considered out of term time income; if income earned in the time before a student begins a third level course is considered out of term time income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9050/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, 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.

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 Schemes holiday earnings are considered as a candidate's reasonable earnings from employment outside of term time.