Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
680. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 671 of 19 October 2021, if a student in receipt of a 50% maintenance grant will receive a €200 increase in their payment per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52483/21]
View answerThe Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI, provides grant assistance to students pursuing an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. It assists over 70,000 students annually to access third level education.
In the context of Budget 2022 as the Deputy is aware, I commenced the process of making prioritised improvements to the student grant scheme for the academic year 2022-2023. This will allow early progress in addressing key themes emerging from the Student Grant Scheme Review's consultations and research and recent trends in the cost of living.
For the 2022/23 academic year, all maintenance grant payments, including the special rate of grant, will be increased by €200 per year at a cost of €13m. This will benefit circa 62,000 SUSI grant recipients currently receiving maintenance grant support.
For clarity, all SUSI grant recipients, including those eligible for partial maintenance grant awards of 25%, 50% or 75%, will benefit from the full increase of €200 per academic year, effective from September 2022.
