The survey was carried out by by UCD students' union. It reports that the total cost of processing and administering the grants process last year in North Tipperary County Council was €254,716, which included both direct and indirect costs for 526 applications. In contrast, South Tipperary County Council spent only €191,540 last year in processing 100 more applications (628). No explanation for the inconsistency in costs was forthcoming from the authorities

"It's absolutely baffling how different local authorities can spend so much public money processing grants, compared to others that can achieve the same results far cheaper," said union president Gary Redmond.

The union says that huge savings could be made by centralising the grants process. At present 66 local authorities and Vocational Education Committees (VECs) handle applications and decide who should get grants.

"We need a complete overhaul of the grants system immediately. It's in the best interests of not only students, but the taxpayer too. Just looking at the administrative process, simple and efficient changes can be made," added Mr Redmond.

“As piloted in Dublin this year, all local authorities should pay grant instalments directly into students’ bank accounts – this negates the cost of postage and stamp duty applicable to each cheque.”

“Furthermore, introducing a secure online applications portal – similar to the Central Applications Office – would reduce money spent on printing lengthy application forms and the manual handling of these forms. At present, the application form stands at 26 pages, compared to seven for a mortgage application form.”

The UCD survey revealed a huge increase this year in applications for higher education and further education awards. It also confirmed that some local authorities will not complete the application process until the second week of January and that quite a large number of students are still waiting to receive grant money. (Source: Irish Independent)