Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2021
132. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the criteria and income thresholds for SUSI grants to ensure that each family qualifying for the working family payment is deemed eligible for a fee and maintenance SUSI grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26933/21]
View answerUnder the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, Family Income Supplement (also known as the Working Family Payment) is treated as an income disregard and is therefore not included in the calculation of reckonable income.
Furthermore, unlike other social protection payments which are paid to individuals, the Working Family Payment is a payment deemed to be paid to a family. In recognition of this, the SUSI scheme contains provisions which allow this payment to be recognised for the purposes of meeting the eligibility criteria for the special rate of grant, which is the highest maintenance grant support available.
This ensures that those students most in need receive supports commensurate with their needs. In this regard, SUSI has advised that 5,090 students qualified for the special rate of grant in 2019/20 by virtue of having a Working Family Payment.
The Student Grant Scheme provides for different levels of income thresholds for grant support including where families have (i) less than 4 dependent children (ii) between 4 and 7 dependent children and (iii) 8 or more dependent children.
The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. On foot of these commitments I gave approval to commence a review of the Student Grant Scheme. It anticipated that the review will be completed later this year and will inform future considerations regarding the development of student grant policy.
Separately, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their higher education studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the higher education institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
