Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
678. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the allocation to the Student Assistance Fund for the years 2016 to date by year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52412/21]
View answerThe allocation to the Student Assistance Fund for the years 2016 to 2021 is shown in the attached table.
The baseline funding allocation for the Student Assistance Fund is €8.1m. An additional €1 million of ring-fenced core funding was allocated in 2017 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, 2019, and 2020 as an exceptional basis to support Teacher Supply for Professional Masters in Education Courses (PME) students pending changes to the postgraduate supports under the Student Grant Scheme in 2021/22 academic year.
As part of the package of COVID19 supports for 2020 and 2021 the level of baseline core funding was doubled by providing an additional €8.1m in each of those two years.
