Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision was made to introduce a fee from January 2014 up to the end of the academic year in June 2014 whereby apprentices are due to pay €833 per typical attendance block of ten weeks at an institute of technology on a pro rata basis as other students; if apprentices are eligible for a third level grant like other students; the date on which they should have applied for this grant for the period January 2014 to June 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24984/14]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Annual Student Contribution is levied on apprentices and students attending Institutes of Technology. This contribution has been levied by Institutes of Technology in respect of apprentices since 2004, with FÁS/SOLAS paying 70% of the contribution and apprentices themselves paying the remainder. Following a Budget 2014 decision, SOLAS ceased making this payment to the Institutes of Technology and apprentices themselves will now pay the full pro rata Annual Student Contribution.

From January 2014 up to the end of the academic year in June, apprentices will be due to pay €833 (1/3 of €2,500) per typical attendance block of 10 weeks. The exam fee is included in this payment. Apprentices will pay the same contribution as students, apportioned for the time they spend in the Institutes. Apprentices are not eligible for grants under the Student Grant Scheme as they do not meet the funding condition of participating in an approved full-time course in an approved institution. Unlike students, apprentices are paid a training allowances by SOLAS for phases of their training spent in Institutes of Technology. This allowance is equivalent to the wages they receive from their employers for on the job phases and is unaffected by the budgetary changes.