A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Single authority to replace VECs for awarding of student grants
A single authority for awarding student grants is to replace the existing 66 local authorities and Vocational Education Committees charged with the task.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn yesterday announced that from the 2012/2013 academic year, third-level students will be able to apply to a central office for their grants.The Union of Students in Ireland welcomed the announcement. It said the move would make it a lot simpler for students while facilitating the processing of grant applications on time, saving taxpayer money. From 2012 onwards, the City of Dublin VEC will accept all new applications, regardless of what part of the country the applicant resides in.
Memory loss for student drinkers
Almost eight out of 10 UCD students who took part in a survey on alcohol admitted to suffering memory loss on a night out.
The results, published in UCD's University Observernewspaper this week, also found almost 50 per cent of students admitted to binge drinking on a "usual" night out. The number of students experiencing blackouts had increased since 2009 and drug use had also increased. The survey of 320 students was carried out last week. A total of 78 per cent said they suffered memory loss as a result of drinking too much on a night out, compared to almost 68 per cent in a similar survey in 2009.
Guide for safe travel launched
A new survival guide for Irish citizens travelling abroad has been published, containing details on everything from haggling to advice on what to wear. The drinkaware.ie Holiday Survival Guide was launched yesterday by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore in Dublin.
The guide details what to do in an emergency and in what ways the local Irish Embassy can help.
In 2010, the Department of Foreign Affairs dealt with more than 1,330 consular emergencies that were deemed “serious”, including deaths, arrests and accidents.The guide is available at drinkaware.ie
Sexual assault conviction overturned
A Dublin taxi driver who received a four-year sentence for sexual assault has had his conviction overturned on appeal.
The Court of Criminal Appeal quashed the conviction of Declan Kavanagh (52) of Foxdean Drive, Clondalkin, having found the judge at his trial made an error in principle by allowing evidence of a flawed identification parade to go before the jury.
The court ordered that no retrial should take place. He had pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in 2005.