NEW MOVES to reform the third-level grant scheme – which would make it easier for students to access grants – have been shelved by the Government, Labour’s Ruairí Quinn said yesterday.
The Student Support Bill is intended to streamline the application for grants and reduce the bureaucracy involved. It will transfer sole responsibility for student grants to Vocational Education Committees (VECs).
Mr Quinn said the decision showed Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe had no desire to help students. But a ministerial spokesman denied that the Bill had been abandoned. He said a number of legal issues have arisen in the course of preparation of the legislation which require further advice and clarification.
But he said resources are not currently available to “advance transition to the new administrative arrangements in the immediate future’’ because of the pressure on the public finances.
Mr Quinn said the Bill had been put on hold for over a year for no good reason. “We last debated it in the Dáil when Mary Hanafin was still minister for education but under Batt’s watch, nothing has happened. At a time of crisis in our public finances, it makes sense to reform the bureaucratic grants system. This failure to act will only cost the taxpayer more money.”
The ministerial spokesman said a number of the amendments to the Student Support Bill are at the final stages of preparation. The department, he said, is working with the office of the Attorney General to finalise any outstanding matters.
Mr O’Keeffe hopes to be in a position to have these amendments finalised shortly with a view to progressing to committee stage before the summer recess.
“Given the current budgetary situation across the public sector . . . it will be necessary to continue with the existing schemes and administrative arrangements for a period post enactment of the legislation.”
