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Submission To Capital Asset Test Implementation Group Regarding Third Level Grants

Aug 10, 2012 | Policy Submission | 0 comments

The Minister for Education has established a ‘Capital Asset Test Implementation Group’ to investigate the potential for making changes to the current maintenance grant award system. The group is currently assessing if there is room for some degree of evaluation above and beyond the nominal household income for the purposes of determining ability to pay in respect of an application for a grant – i.e. taking assets such as property and land into account. This has caused concern to numerous self-employed people, farmers included.

In a submission to the Capital Asset Test Implementation Group, the ICSA highlighted several key issues, including:

  • Capital assets of farms versus access to funds
  • Family Farm Income lower than PAYE workers
  • Socio-economic factors which lead to observed third level transfer statistics
  • Higher costs of living in centres of higher education
  • Overall geographic variations in third level transfers
  • The relationship of higher education to the Knowledge Economy and Rural Development
  • Major impacts of reduced access to grants
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