Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 May 2022
317. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will further advise on a SUSI-grant matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied). [27043/22]
View answerFurther to previous PQ 23930/22 and in response to issues raised by the applicant my officials have been informed by SUSI that the student in question applied for grant assistance on 28th April 2020 with regard to the 2020/2021 academic year. An award letter was sent on that day 28th April 2020 advising she had been awarded Postgraduate Tuition Fees to a maximum of €6,270 and the special adjacent rate of maintenance grant.
The application was reviewed as part of a Post-Award Review on 15th October 2020 and a further award letter confirming she had been awarded Postgraduate Tuition Fees to a maximum of €6,270 and the special adjacent rate of maintenance grant was sent on 19th October 2020.
An internal review request was received regarding this application on 19th October 2020 regarding the adjacency rate awarded.
The assessment team in SUSI investigated this placement and based on information from the college’s website the placement is for two days a in SUSI week on placement and the rest of the week is on campus. Therefore, as the placement is not for a period of at least one semester off-campus the adjacency rate cannot change as more time is spent on campus than off campus. The applicant was advised of this by telephone on 26 October 2021. The Internal Review Team issued the following determination. “As the placement/course is split throughout the week as stated on the college website, the placement is not full time and therefore will not affect adjacency.” The student further contacted SUSI on 30th August 2021 to query why she had not been awarded the non-adjacent rate of maintenance. Her application was reviewed and a letter to advise her that there had been no change to the original decision to award her the adjacent rate of grant was sent to her on 2nd September 2021. SUSI received a Notice of Appeal regarding adjacency for the 2020/2021 academic year on 17th December 2021 and a letter was sent to the applicant on 22nd December 2021 advising that the appeal could not be accepted as it was received outside the maximum 60-day timeframe.
The applicant contacted the Support Desk in SUSI to enquire when the original decision was made and how the 60 days were calculated. The student was advised date of the decision to award her the adjacent rate of grant was 19 October 2020 and the 60 days started then. This would mean the 60-day window to appeal closed on 18 December 2020. As the appeal was received 12 months after this date it could not be considered by the Appeals Officer. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by an appeals officer in SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe (i.e. not later than 30 days after the notification of the determination of the appeals officer to the applicant). My officials have also been informed that the student in question submitted an appeal to the Student Grant Appeals Board in January 2022 however, this could not be heard as an appeal by the Board as the student never submitted an appeal to the SUSI Appeals Officer as per the process outlined above. I would encourage the Deputy to make contact directly with SUSI if she has any additional questions.
