A ROW APPEARS to be brewing between Fine Gael and Labour, after FG’s agriculture minister Simon Coveney added his voice to those opposing Ruairí Quinn’s planned reform to college grants.
Labour minister Quinn is looking to change the current grant system so that the total wealth of each applicant, or their family – and not just the amount of income they have – is considered when the applicant is looking for a grant.
Both Fine Gael backbenchers and farmers’ groups have questioned the move, claiming that the changes would particularly target children from farming households which are already seeing other financial pressures.
Quinn, however, believes it’s possible for sole traders and the self-employed to manipulate the system so that their overall wealth doesn’t necessarily match the cash they take in each year.
Today we’re asking: do you think student grant applications should consider the value of a family’s property?
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