Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 February 2014
103. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason persons aged over 23 years who have a gap of a number of years in their education are still assessed on their parents' income for the purposes of a Student Universal Support Ireland grant if they began their third level education when they were under 23 years. [7211/14]
View answerFor student grants purposes, a student may be assessed as an independent student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved post leaving certificate course or an approved higher education course or of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1 October. Otherwise he/she would continue to be assessed on the basis of his/her parents' income.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the appeals officer in SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form is available to download from http://www.studentfinance.ie/downloads/1375344221/2013_SGAB_appeal_form.pdf.
I have no plans at present to change the current arrangements.
