Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports available to a person who wishes to complete a nursing degree (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21401/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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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 to obtain one qualification at each level of study. Given the level of demand on the student grant budget from first time students and students that are progressing with their studies to a higher level, there are no plans at present to change the arrangements in place.

A student holding a Level 8 qualification would not satisfy the progression requirements of the Scheme on commencing another undergraduate Level 8 degree programme.

However, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU Member States and in non-EU countries. Details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.