Education (Jersey) Law 1999: Student Grants: Income Calculation Amendment: Law Drafting Request

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A decision made 3 April 2013:

Decision Reference: MD-ESC-2013-0007
Decision Summary Title):	Student Grants: changes to basis for assessment of income in calculation of student award		Date of Decision Summary:	March 25th 2013
Decision Summary Author:	Andy Gibbs Head of Lifelong Learning & Skills		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Oral		Person Giving Oral Report:	Andy Gibbs Head of Lifelong Learning & Skills
Written Report Title:	n/a		Date of Written Report:	n/a
Written Report Author:	n/a		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	n/a
Subject: Amendment to the Education Law to allow the income used in the calculation of a student award to change with effect from September 2013
Decision(s): The Minister agreed that the Law Draftsman should be requested to prepare a draft amendment to the Education Law to change the definition of those people whose financial status may be relevant for the purposes of assessing an applicant’s entitlement to financial assistance by way of a grant or loan for the purposes of undertaking a course at higher education.
Reason(s) for Decision: The Education (Jersey) Law 1999 empowers the Minister ‘by Order’ to make grants for students following programmes of higher education. The Orders describe the amount of States support available, how the level of support is assessed, the terms and conditions under which it is available and the criteria which students and their families must meet to be eligible. The Minister in a previous decision dated November 23rd 2012, reference MD-ESC-2012-0025 ‘Student Grants: changes to basis for assessment of income in calculation of student award’ (copy attached), requested the Law Draftsman to make the required changes to the Orders. It was subsequently advised that the proposal, in certain circumstances, to use the income of a person other than a parent, as agreed in the States on January 29th 2013 entitled ‘Higher Education Grants: methods of assessment’ (P.134/2012 refers), will require an amendment to the primary legislation, the Education Law, as outlined in the attached information.
Resource Implications: Law drafting time
Action required: Request the Law Draftsman to prepare the necessary amendment to the Education Law on the basis of a written brief to be supplied by the Head of Lifelong Learning and Skills.
Signature:		Position: Minister for Education, Sport and Culture
Date Signed:		Date of Decision: