Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by parents in receipt of the remote area boarding grant who live on islands where there is no daily access to a secondary school, in view of the extra costs incurred in paying for boarding school fees, and taking into consideration that an individual accommodation provider may require more than the €150 per week provided for by the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26937/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The purpose of the Remote Area Boarding Grant is to give pupils who are educationally disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis as other pupils not so disadvantaged. Pupils resident on off-shore islands that do not have a school providing suitable free second-level education may also qualify for assistance under the scheme. The maximum grant payable under this scheme may not exceed €4947 per pupil per annum. Given the scale of our economic crisis, I have no scope to provide additional funding to increase the grants available under this scheme.