Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the provisions of the State Awards (State Bursaries for Adult Education) (Wales) Regulations 1979 relating to the bestowal of state awards on persons ordinarily resident in Wales other than awards in respect of post-graduate and comparable courses.

The general arrangements made by the Secretary of State for the purposes of his functions under the Regulations of 1979 have provided that a state award should not be bestowed on a person, who, throughout the three years preceding his application for an award has not been ordinarily resident in the British Islands. These arrangements are relaxed or modified in the case of applicants for awards who are refugees or are the children of workers from the European Community.

The present Regulations make express provision in that behalf and further provide that a state award shall not be bestowed on a person if his residence in the British Islands (or the European Community, as appropriate) has, during any part of the three year period preceding his application, been wholly or mainly for purposes of receiving full-time education or undertaking post-graduate research otherwise than in the course of employment.

The Regulations also extend the existing arrangements relating to the eligibility of refugees for awards to their spouses and children. They take account of the provisions of Article 7 of EEC Regulation 1612/68 relating to the access of workers from the European Community to training in vocational schools by providing that such persons and the children of workers from the European Community are not subject to the requirement imposed by the Regulations that a person cannot receive a state award if he is receiving full-time education.