Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
948. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a family who are in receipt of family income supplement from the Department of Social Protection cannot qualify for a SUSI grant due to the family farm having had an annual turnover of about €70,000, not income, in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37603/15]
View answerThe decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).
The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant or how that applicant's income is assessed. This is a matter for SUSI to determine.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal in the first instance to 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.
