Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons currently in receipt of a student maintenance grant at third level. [40745/13]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons from a farming background currently in receipt of a student maintenance grant. [40747/13]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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246. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons from a self-employed background currently in receipt of a student maintenance grant. [40748/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 to 246, inclusive, together.

The number of students (both new and renewal) who received student grants (which may include maintenance or fees) for the academic year 2011/12 was 76,644. Of these 67,650 were in higher education and 8,994 in further education. Data has traditionally been collated on a socio-economic background of new awards and not on the basis of whether a student came from a self-employed background. The attached table shows the percentage of new awards (which may include maintenance and/or fees) made to students in higher education from the different socio economic categories for the academic year 2011/12.

This indicative data is subject to considerable qualification for interpretation purposes in relation to the reliability due to, inter alia, the level of undeclared status among the returns from the awarding authorities and the provision of accurate and or/adequate information in respect of occupation by the principal earner to enable the awarding authorities to classify them by socio-economic background. The information contained in the table has been supplied to my Department by the awarding authorities who submitted a return.

My Department is currently analysing the data received in the 2012/13 annual statistical return from the grant awarding authorities and the final data in respect of 2012/13 in respect of overall numbers in receipt of a maintenance grant and the socio economic background of new awardees will be available in the coming weeks.

Breakdown of New Awards of Grants in Higher Education for 2011/12 academic year by Socio Economic Categories