Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 174: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the issues in a document (details supplied) regarding the inability of mature students to continue their education to fourth level in view of the restrictive social welfare and medical card conditions; and if he will establish an interdepartmental liaison with the Department of Health and the Department of Social Protection to provide for some mitigation for mature students who find themselves in these or similar circumstances. [26312/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy will be aware that the student grant measures announced in Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fáil - Green Party Government began to come into effect from January this year when a reduction of 4% in the rates of grant was applied to all student grant recipients. In addition, from September 2011 the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant was changed from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres and mature students no longer have an automatic entitlement to the non-adjacent rate of grant.

Given the current economic circumstances I regret that I am not in a position to reverse the changes made to the entitlement for mature students. Students in exceptional financial circumstances can apply for assistance under the Student Assistance Fund. Information on the Fund is available through the access offices of third-level institutions. The access offices themselves will also continue to provide support and advice to students to enable them to continue with their studies.

The BTEA is a Department of Social Protection second-chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and therefore, their prospects of returning to the workforce. The Deputy will appreciate that eligibility for, or any extension of the BTEA scheme to accommodate postgraduate studies is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection. There has already been a substantial level of liaison between officials of my Department and those of the Department of Social Protection in relation to common issues concerning eligibility for the BTEA and student grants.