An Taoiseach Enda Kenny this week has welcomed clarification by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, that there are to be no changes to the means test terms for student grants for the coming 2012/2013 academic year.
Budget measures, announced last December, signalled the Minister's proposal to amend the means test from the 2013/2014 academic year, taking account of the value of certain capital assets and income and, accordingly, a Capital Asset Team Implementation Group has been convened to develop proposals in that regard. The group will report back to the Minister by this autumn and will make their recommendations then.
The Taoiseach said: "I welcome the clarification by Minister Quinn that there are to be no changes to means test terms for the coming academic year. This will give prospective recipients a degree of certainty in relation to the application process this year. I understand that the Capital Asset Team Implementation Group are currently working on their proposals and will report back to Minister Quinn in the autumn with their findings. Only then will we know the impact, if any, this may have on the 2013-2014 academic year."
