Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 September 2021
551. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the percentage of SUSI recipients with farm income included within the assessed household; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46366/21]
View answerThe main support to students attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Student Grant Scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding, provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment (progression) and means
The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine. All applications are assessed nationally with reference to the terms and conditions of the relevant student grant scheme, which are applied impartially to all applicants.
Income from all types of self-employment including farming are all assessed by SUSI under the heading of Self-Employment/Farming Income and are not broken down into different categories of self-employment income.
Therefore it is not possible for SUSI to determine the number of applications where farm income was included when determining the total reckonable income.
