Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 May 2022
144. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his proposals to improve student maintenance and tuition grants in the coming years under the SUSI scheme; his proposals to reduce the student registration fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25239/22]
View answerA key priority outlined in the framework are plans to consider options to address cost as a barrier to higher education. The Deputy will be aware that the principal support for students is the Student Grant Scheme, which assists more than 70,000 students annually to access third level education. The budgetary provision for the Student Grant Scheme in 2021 is €364.5m.
The importance of this Review has been underlined by the rise in the costs of living across society which have adversely affected students more than others. To address this and further alleviate the pressures arising from the rise in costs for students and their families I initiated improvements for the academic year 2022/23 by increasing all student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant, by €200 per year as well as increasing the qualifying income thresholds (except special rate) by €1,000. I have also introduced changes to the criteria for the higher non-adjacent rate of grant which means that from September 2022, the qualifying distance for the non-adjacent rate of grant has been reduced from 45km to 30km. In this way the scheme is responsive to eligible students who reside further away from college by providing an increased rate of student maintenance grant. These changes will benefit thousands of students and will build on the improvements that have already been made through this year’s student grant scheme.
Funding the Future sets out the vision and direction of higher education funding, our commitment to addressing legacy issues in higher education and detailing our ambitious plans for investment and reform. This includes:
- planned additional investment of €307 million to address core funding challenges for our institutions, that will be made over a number of years through annual budgetary processes. This does not account for future demographic needs or new policy proposals for higher education.
- Plans to consider options to address cost as a barrier to higher education, and how we will pursue funding measures on these issues through the Estimates process, including in respect of reductions to the student contribution and enhancements to the SUSI grant in line with the Student Grant Review.
As I look towards the next budgetary cycle, I will be examining all the levers I have to address the issue of education costs in a way that has impact for students and families and that applies broadly across society. This summer in advance of the Estimates process, I intend to publish a paper outlining potential options and impacts, to be considered in the Budgetary process, related to the Student Grant scheme and other programmes related to student supports and costs of higher education, including with respect to those priorities identified in the Student Grant Scheme Review.
