Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 20: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will reverse the decision of budget 2010 to remove the eligibility criteria of those availing of the back to education allowance to the student maintenance grant. [4236/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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From September 2010, as announced in the Budget, all new applicants who are in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance for all schemes, and the VTOS allowances for those pursuing PLC courses, will be ineligible for student support maintenance grants. The cost of the student services charge and any fees payable to colleges will continue to be met, for eligible students, by the Exchequer on their behalf. Students should apply to their assessing authority to have their eligibility assessed.

Students currently in receipt of the BTEA or VTOS allowances and the maintenance grant will continue to be eligible for both payments for the duration of their current course provided they meet the terms and conditions of the scheme. Students progressing to a new course, with effect from 2010/11, will no longer be eligible for student support maintenance grants but can apply for assistance towards the cost of the student services charge and any fees payable.

It was decided to discontinue the practice of allowing students to hold both the BTEA or VTOS allowance and a student maintenance grant simultaneously as this represents a duplication of income support payments.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the hardship being suffered by persons who have not yet received their third level grants; and his proposals to alleviate same. [3666/10]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that some students are experiencing delays in the processing of their grant applications and appreciate the individual difficulties this can involve. It is understood that both local authorities and VECs, the awarding bodies for student grants, received an unprecedented number of student grant applications this year with increases in applications up by 30% in some areas. In some instances, late applications are still being received. Both VECs and local authorities are experiencing pressures due to the increased workload associated with the increased demand for the schemes, particularly in the context of the recruitment moratorium in the public sector. In some instances, this is affecting the processing of grants. However, every effort is being made by these bodies to ensure that students get decisions on their grant applications and are paid as soon as possible. The current difficult economic circumstances have necessitated tough choices to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run, including the need to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector. It is inevitable that staffing constraints on public bodies will lead to certain pressures on services. However, these bodies, even in these challenging circumstances, are endeavouring to ensure that the work associated with the processing of grants is prioritised.

Apart from the pressures associated with the volume of applications, a significant number of outstanding grant applications have not been processed in full because the applications were incomplete. I remind students and their parents to return all necessary supporting documentation as early as possible to help the awarding bodies make prompt decisions on entitlement. On my request, the Higher Education Authority has also asked institutions to be flexible in respect of requests for payment of the student services charge from students who are still awaiting a decision on their grant application. In the longer run, I am assessing organisational options for the processing of grant applications with a view to streamlining operations and achieving more effective administrative efficiencies. Possible options for a more significant aggregation of functions are now being explored in the context of budgetary considerations and the Government's overall programme of public service reform. In the interim, my Department is working closely with local authorities and VECs on a number of initiatives, some of which are already leading to service improvements for students as well as alleviating some of the pressures on awarding authorities. These initiatives include the provision of advance payments for student grants to all awarding authorities, migration of grant payments directly to students on a phased basis by way of electronic funds transfer and improvements to the grant application process.