Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
673. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total allocation for the student assistance fund in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51176/21]
View answerThe total 2020/2021 allocation to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) was €18.2m.
- This is made up of baseline core funding of €8.1m;
- €1 million ring-fenced core funding for the support of part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups identified in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education;
- An additional €1 million was added in 2018, as an exceptional basis to support Teacher Supply for Professional Masters in Education Courses (PME) students pending changes to the Student Grant Scheme in 2021/22 academic year;
- As part of the package of COVID19 supports for 2020 I doubled the level of baseline core funding by providing an additional €8.1m.
The total 2021/2022 allocation to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) is €17.2m. Similar to the 2020/21 academic year this includes
- Baseline core funding allocation of €8.1m.
- €1 million ring-fenced core funding for the support of part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups identified in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education.
- An additional €8.1m of the COVID19 return to education package 2021 doubling the baseline core funding.
Effective for the 2021 Student Grant Scheme I announced enhanced postgraduate supports which saw the fee grant amount rising from €2,000 to €3,500 and the income threshold for eligibility for these grants will also rise, up from €31,500, now €54,240. The increase in fee grant will allay some of the costs for postgraduate study and will give greater certainty for students in terms of supports. In addition to the increase in the fee grant, the income thresholds for postgraduate students were increased from a postgraduate threshold of €31,500 to €54,240 in 2021; which is currently the highest income threshold at undergraduate level. This measure removed the need to continue with the ring-fenced funding under SAF for PME courses under SAF in 2021.
