Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 64: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her plans to place a cap on student registration fees; if budget 2011 will observe the existing grant and income thresholds for the purposes of higher or third level education supports; her plans to change the terms of the student assistance fund in budget 2011; her plans to develop a national graduate internship programme in order to retain Irish graduates in this country; her plans to retain graduates in this country in view of the ongoing difficulties that graduates face when trying to get work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38251/10]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will appreciate that the preparation of the Estimates is carried out on a strictly confidential basis and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific issues or proposals including the student registration fees, the maintenance grant, the income thresholds or the student assistant fund at this stage. However, all proposals made in relation to education expenditure will be considered in the context of the Budget.

With regard to the other issues raised by the Deputy, as a measure to support unemployed graduates and in order to keep them close to the labour market, the Government introduced the Work Placement Programme (WPP) in 2009.

The WPP is operated by the Department of Education and Skills, through FÁS and provides up to 9 months work experience to unemployed individuals. The WPP is open to all sectors of the economy, including the private and public sectors, as well as the community and voluntary sectors. Participants on the programme may retain their existing social welfare entitlements for the duration of their placements subject to the rules of the Department of Social Protection.

At the start of October 2010, some 2,022 individuals had commenced their placements under the WPP. Of these, 996 individuals have commenced on the graduate stream.

FAS recently attended the Graduate Fair in the RDS and the WPP received significant interest from graduates and was viewed as an opportunity to gain valuable work experience that would be beneficial to them and to their employment prospects.

The Government through the Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal are currently considering proposals to assist the unemployed, including graduates in advance of Budget 2011.