Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 272: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person with an undergraduate degree in chemistry who was in receipt of grant assistance from the local authority will qualify for further grant assistance to study pharmacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20386/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant.

To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students as possible in obtaining one qualification at each level of study thereby increasing their employment prospects. However, tax relief, at the standard rate of tax, may be available for tuition fees paid in respect of approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including certain approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This information may be useful to the student to which the Deputy refers.