Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 323: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will review the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath applying for a higher education maintenance grant; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this individual's first qualification is in the construction industry which has no economic future in the medium term; the reason many people who are out of work are barred from retraining and upskilling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36182/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has received an appeal from the candidate referred to by the Deputy which is currently under review and it is anticipated a reply will issue to the student shortly. It is open to unemployed people to apply for places on further and higher education programmes. In addition, since the beginning of the year the Government has launched a number of new initiatives to support unemployed people return to education and engage in upskilling. In the further education sector, the Government has provided an additional 1,500 PLC places, bringing the total number of PLC places to 31,688 nationwide. In the higher education sector 2,500 places have been provided on part-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses for people who are unemployed. This scheme is open to people who have been on the Live Register for at least six months or who have been awarded statutory redundancy and participants are entitled to retain their social welfare payments.

Other initiatives in the higher education sector include 280 places on a range of newly developed accelerated Level 6 Certificate programmes and over 900 places on a range of newly developed part-time transition programmes. The accelerated and transition courses were targeted specifically at unemployed people and the institutes of technology that were running the programmes worked closely with local FÁS and Department of Social and Family Affairs offices both in terms of marketing the courses and advising participants of their entitlements in relation to social welfare payments. Up to 700 additional training places are also being made available for redundant apprentices under a new Redundant Apprentice Institute of Technology Training Scheme. The purpose of this initiative to provide an opportunity to redundant apprentices who cannot otherwise secure the job placements required in order to complete their normal apprenticeship programme, to acquire additional certified skills in the education sector.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to illness benefit when applying for the special rate of maintenance for third level grant applications; if this will be included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36188/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education made detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students. The target group of "those most in need" was defined in terms of the dependants of people receiving long-term welfare payments, where the necessary conditions are fulfilled.

To qualify for the Special Rate of maintenance grant, an applicant must qualify for the ordinary maintenance grant in respect of the 2009/10 academic year. In addition, total reckonable income must not exceed a specified amount, which is €22,308 in the 2008 tax year. Finally, on the operative date, 31st December 2008 for the 2009/10 academic year, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible long-term Social Welfare payments prescribed under the scheme. Illness Benefit is considered to be a short-term payment and, therefore, it is not included as an eligible payment for the purposes of the special rates of maintenance grant.