Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has refused to back down on proposed reforms to the current test for third-level grants, despite pressure from farmers.

The Irish Independent reports how Mr Quinn has announced plans to include assets in the new means test for student grants.

Mr Quinn declared that "certain capital assets" will be taken into consideration when assessing grant entitlements next year in order to make the system fairer.

However, he has so far refused to confirm that farmland and business premises will not be included.

It is thought Mr Quinn's announcement will put pressure on Fine Gael TDs attending the National Ploughing Championships, which is the biggest farming event of the year.

Although Fine Gael TDs are more reliant on farming votes than urban Labour TDs, one Labour TD has spoken out against the proposal.

Willie Penrose told the Independent: "It's important to acknowledge there are difficulties in rural Ireland that may not be readily apparent to people in urban Ireland."

Written by Donal Walsh

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