Student Grant Scheme Expenditure

Tuesday, 24 September 2019

Questions (166)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

166. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full-year cost of restoring the non-adjacent SUSI grant level from 24 km to 30 km, 35 km and 40 km, in tabular form. [38562/19]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

SUSI does not collate data in the format request by the Deputy. Therefore, it is not possible to cost the increase in the non-adjacent distance criterion from 24km to 30km, 35km and 40km.

However, the cost of reversing the change to the distance criteria from 24km to 45km for the student grant is estimated to be in the region of €26m.

The above costing assumes that a change to the distance criterion would result in a similar percentage of students qualifying for the higher non-adjacent grant support, as existed pre Budget 2011.