As the Deputy will be aware that there are various income thresholds used depending on the type of grant, family size etc. While SUSI has statistics on those students who have applied for grant support and can estimate with some degree of certainty, what impact changes to the thresholds might have for those students on lower income levels, the accuracy of its estimates become less reliable at the higher income levels. Prospective applicants on higher incomes may not have applied for support as their income was above the relevant threshold.
The estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of increasing the reckonable income threshold for entitlement to student universal support Ireland allowance in increments of 1% up to 10% in regard of 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% maintenance rates and simultaneously increasing the payment rates in increments of 1% up to 10% are provided in tabular form to the Deputy in the attached table.
Please note that the information supplied is based on the following:
- 2019-20 data based on applications received for this period.
- From analysing how a model using 2019-20 SUSI data varies in the 0-10% ranges of changing Reckonable Income and Maintenance Payments it can be seen there is a very close to linear relationship.
- This would be expected for maintenance payments in particular and is not unexpected for reckonable iIncome.
The above figures do not include any changes to the income thresholds for the special rate of maintenance grants which are linked to long-term social welfare payments.
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