Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if, in line with the position he took when in opposition, he will repeal the change introduced in May 2010 by the former Government regarding eligibility for student grant applications for third level colleges, specifically that the applicant must be resident here for three of the previous five years prior to application whether or not they are Irish citizens. [34732/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The issue to which the Deputy refers relates to the change in the residence requirement in the student grant schemes for the 2010/11 academic year. From the start of that academic year, the residence requirement to be met by a student in order to qualify for the maintenance grant was changed from a one-year requirement to have been living in the State directly prior to attending college, to a more flexible requirement of three out of the previous five years for the student.

I understand that the main purpose of the change was to ensure that persons applying for grants would have more established links with and integration into the State and, in many instances that the change provides greater flexibility for students who may be returning from abroad.

The residence requirement must be met by the student himself or herself in all cases and is no longer linked to the residence of the parent or legal guardian of the student. Save where a student has been studying abroad, there are no exceptions made for particular groups – the requirement is applied equally to all.

In addition to the increased flexibility introduced by allowing residence to be counted over the five years prior to entering college, a student may now also meet the residence requirement during the course of their studies in order to qualify for a grant. In the past, if a student did not meet the residence requirement on entry to a course, this could not be reassessed even if the requirement could subsequently be met during the course of their studies.

Now, all students are treated equally with regard to meeting the residence requirement. All students have greater flexibility in meeting the "three out of five" years requirement. And, even students who fail to meet the "three out of five" years at initial registration can now reapply in the course of their studies once they have met the residence requirement. I have no plans to change these arrangements.