Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 207: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the steps she has taken in relation to an issue with students being refused higher education grants for courses run by the vocational education committees due to a technical issue between the VECs and her Department (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33325/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South 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 (BTEA), and VTOS allowances for those pursuing PLC courses, will be ineligible for student maintenance grants. The decision was taken to discontinue the practice of allowing students progressing to a new course to hold both the BTEA and a student maintenance grant simultaneously as this represents a duplication of income support payments. This measure was recommended in the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes. However, the cost of the student services charge and any fees payable to colleges for the students concerned will continue to be met for these students by the Exchequer, subject to the means test and other grant eligibility requirements.

Students currently in receipt of the BTEA or VTOS and the maintenance grant will continue to be eligible for both payments for the duration of their current course provided they continue to meet the terms and conditions of the relevant grant schemes.

This means that, where an applicant enrolled on two-year course in the 2009/2010 academic year, the student in question will continue to be eligible for consideration for both the BTEA or VTOS allowance and the student maintenance grant for the 2010/11 academic year. If the student enrolled on a one-year course in the 2009/2010 academic year and is commencing a further one-year course in 2010/11, the applicant will be ineligible to hold both payments as he/she will be moving to a new course.

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. An applicant may appeal the decision to the relevant local authority or VEC. Where the assessing authority decides to reject the appeal, the applicant may appeal this decision to my Department by submitting an appeal form outlining clearly the grounds for the appeal.

Individual local authorities and VECs have been issued with detailed advice by my Department on the operation of the aspects of the schemes referred to by the Deputy. In addition, comprehensive information for students on financial support for further and higher education in 2010/11 for those on social welfare or BTEA has been made available on the studentfinance.ie website, including detailed case studies. This information was developed by my Department in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection, the National Access Office of the HEA, AMA — the third level Access Officers' network, Citizens Information and USI, the Union of Students in Ireland.