Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the official procedures and guidelines, as laid down to vocational education authorities, in determining the distance from a candidate's home to their third level college of education, with respect to the awarding of the adjacent or non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29264/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The guidance given to the 66 awarding authorities, the local authorities and VECs, in relation to the application of the distance criterion, for determining whether the adjacent or non-adjacent rate of grant applied, provided for the measurement of the shortest most direct route to the institution from the normal residence. The awarding authorities were best positioned to interpret the application of the distance criterion in the context of local circumstances.

The Student Grant Scheme and the Student Support Regulations for the 2012/13 academic year were published by my Department last week to coincide with the introduction of the single grant awarding authority, Student Universal Support Ireland or SUSI, and the new central online application system going live. Article 27(3)(a) of the 2012 Scheme provides that the distance criterion will be measured in line with agreed guidelines. My Department is liaising with SUSI in regard to these guidelines.