Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 June 2014
55. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the circumstances in which an applicant is considered estranged for the purposes of a grant application; the documentation required as proof of estrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26383/14]
View answerA student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous October. Otherwise he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income. Only in exceptional cases, where compelling independent evidence of estrangement from parents/guardians is provided, can candidates who are under 23 be assessed without reference to their parents/guardians income or address.
The assessment of a case of estrangement is carefully considered to ensure there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the exceptional circumstances pertaining in such cases genuinely exists. The type of evidence required is dependent on the applicant's individual circumstances. Compelling independent evidence of irreconcilable estrangement must be provided to allow a grant awarding authority to fully satisfy itself that the conditions for the application of exemption are met. Evidence from services, including the Courts services and the Health Service Executive, working in a professional capacity with the family or the student, which demonstrates and confirms the genuine and irreconcilable nature of the estrangement would generally be necessary for an awarding authority to satisfy itself of the veracity of the case. The appropriate officer(s) depends the individual's particular circumstances.
