Fine Gael Dublin Mid West Deputy and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Education, Derek Keating, has welcomed an increase in the staffing numbers to deal with the backlog in processing third level grants which are leading to some students experiencing financial difficulties.

Mr Keating was critical of the absence of Opposition TDs in the Dáil chamber when Mr Quinn replied to the debate

Following an enquiry to the Dept of Social Protection Derek Keating TD confirmed the the grant will be paid automatically in Mid June to families who were similarly entitled to the grant last year. 85% of applicantions to the Dept in 2010 were successful.

The debate surrounding third level reform has intensified in recent months. It has focused primarily on the funding aspect of the system and has not considered the wider potential for reform in the sector. Fine Gael has put forward this Green Paper on Higher Education in a wider context.