asked the Minister for Education the reason higher education grants to applicants who qualify are not paid until the first term is almost completed; and if she has any plans to have the waiting period reduced.

Clause 7 of the higher education grants scheme provides that grants payable by local authorities shall be issued to students as early as possible in each term of the academic year. Prompt payment of higher education grants to eligible students is, therefore, a matter for local authorities who are statutorily entrusted with administration of the scheme. If a delay such as referred to by the Deputy occurs in particular cases, it is almost invariably due to a delay in establishing reckonable income for purposes of the means test in cases where audited accounts, etc., have to be produced. In general, however, I am not aware of any undue delay in payment of grants where eligibility of the applicants has been established.

Would the Minister not agree that the local authority are under an obligation to pay out the grants as expeditiously as possible once they get their allocation from the Department of Education? Is it not true that for the past five years, for example, third level grant holders in the Galway area have drawn attention to the fact that the county council have claimed they have not got their money from the Department and, therefore, cannot pay the students on time?

I do not have information in relation to Galway. The question put down by Deputy Michael Bell related to a particular instance and I have given the answer to that question. With regard to the recoupment by Louth County Council of their expenditure on higher education grants — and I have no reason to believe that Louth should have been more favourably treated than any other county — it is interesting to note, that the county councils application for recoupment was received in the Department on 23 January 1989 and payment was made on 31 January, exactly eight days. I think that is remarkable.

The people of Louth are lucky.