Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
658. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the pandemic unemployment payment will be taken into consideration as income when assessing HEAR applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12484/21]
View answerThe HEAR scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) www.iua.ie who set the policy criteria for the scheme. Admissions under the HEAR scheme are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Applications to the scheme are submitted to the Central Applications Office (CAO) who coordinate the scheme for participating institutions.
As such, The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has no role in the policy criteria or operation of the scheme.
The HEAR handbook for 2021 can be accessed at www.accesscollege.ie. It confirms that applications to the HEAR scheme for 2021 are based on income from 2019 and therefore the pandemic unemployment payment is not a factor in this years applications.
