Queries on cross-border students delays grants

LEGAL questions surrounding falling numbers crossing the border to attend college has delayed a new law to speed up grant applications and payments for almost 60,000 students each year.

The Irish Examiner has learnt that equality issues arising from the situation are a huge factor holding up publication of the Student Support Bill, first announced by Education Minister Mary Hanafin two years ago.

About 700 people from the Republic accepted places in Northern third-level colleges in 2004, but the figure fell below 350 last autumn, according to Britain’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS) data.

While Irish students have their tuition fees covered by the State for undergraduate courses in the Republic, they must pay controversial top-up fees at Northern Ireland and British colleges since last autumn.

It is understood that the possibility of a challenge to this situation under equality legislation is causing concern to Department of Education officials.

Ms Hanafin said in April that she had referred elements of the bill to the Attorney-General’s office for legal advice. Her spokeswoman said last night that the structure of the draft bill is under review.

“The minister expects to be in a position to publish the bill in the autumn session, this will not delay the grant schemes for the coming academic year,” she said.

Details of a unified grants scheme were announced in June 2005 by Ms Hanafin, who has been critical of payments from some local authorities being delayed by up to six months.

In June last year, she announced that the new scheme would be operated by local Vocational Education Committees (VECs), which already handle applications for about two-thirds of the 56,000 grant recipients.

The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), which represents the VECs, said extensive talks have been taking place with the Department of Education.

“The bill has taken longer than expected but progress is being made on what will result in a scheme which guarantees a better service to students and their families,” said IVEA general secretary Michael Moriarty.

Those qualifying for the top level of standard grant will receive €3,420 in the coming college year, with almost €6,700 available for 12,500 applicants in the lowest income category. But the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said increases are little consolation to thousands of students who will not receive payment on time this autumn.

“The delayed processing of grants will leave thousands of school-leavers without enough money to pay for accommodation and living costs next month. We told the Government at the start of the year that failure to pass the bill before summer would lead to the sort of crisis now materialising but ministers paid little or no attention to our pleas for sanity in the face of madness,” said USI president Richard Morrisroe.

* Have you experienced significant delays with your student grant? Contact [e-mail].