Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 174: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of postgraduate students in higher education in 2011; and the number of postgraduate students in receipt of a maintenance grant in 2011. [40014/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will appreciate that statistics are not yet available in respect of the 2011/12 academic year. However, HEA statistics indicate that there were some 21,880 full-time postgraduate students pursuing courses in approved institutions in the 2010/11 academic year.

Based on recent returns from the grant awarding authorities, it is estimated that some 9,435 postgraduate students were in receipt of a student grant in the 2010/11 academic year.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the qualifying income criteria for new postgraduate students entering higher education in 2012/2013 in order to have their fees paid by the State. [40015/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As a matter of routine, my Department reviews the student grant scheme each year to prepare policy proposals and to include changes announced under the relevant Budget. A decision on the reckonable income limits for postgraduate fee support for the 2012/13 academic year will be taken in the context of this review and the Scheme will be published in due course in the New Year with this detail.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide further details on the introduction of a capital asset test in 2013; the reason behind this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40016/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that the current means testing arrangements for student grants take no account of the capital value of savings or assets in determining eligibility for financial assistance. This approach is at variance with other major financial support schemes operated by the Department of Social Protection and other public bodies such as the HSE.

A considerable body of reports produced by the Department over a number of years have strongly recommended the introduction of a capital test for student grants to create a more equitable basis for means testing, based on a more complete analysis of a family's capacity to support their children in pursuing further or higher education.

The Deputy will appreciate that the objective of the student grant scheme is to target available funding at socio-economically disadvantaged groups to support greater participation of students from these backgrounds in further and higher education.

In the circumstances and in the context of the current financial climate, the importance of accurately targeting increasingly scarce resources to those most in need has become a high priority. In this regard, a dedicated Capital Asset Test implementation group for student grants has been established. The group has been charged with bringing forward detailed implementation proposals on new means testing arrangements for student grants, to include the value of assets, for new applicants from the 2013/14 academic year. Any proposals will require further Government agreement and necessitate legislative amendment.