Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 200: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Science the education grants that are available to one-parent families who are in receipt of one parent family payment and who wish to continue or commence third level education and in particular if they can avail of the third level maintenance grant scheme where they are in receipt of the payment from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17088/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Financial assistance is available to students under the maintenance grant schemes, which are administered by the local authorities and Vocational Education Committees on behalf of my Department. Students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. A person in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment may be entitled to a student maintenance grant provided they meet the terms and conditions of the relevant student grant scheme. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant assessing authority, i.e. the applicant's local authority or VEC.