Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
51. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has received any estimates of the cost of participating in third level education, both when living at home and living away from home and the impact that the rising cost of living is having on those costs; and the ways in which he is supporting with these extra costs. [36447/22]
View answerAddressing the costs of education for students and their families is a major priority for me. As part of the last Budget, I prioritised a number of changes to the SUSI scheme which will benefit learners in the coming academic year.
All student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant, will increase by €200 per year.
The qualifying income thresholds, except the special rate which is broadly aligned with social protection payments have increased 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 is 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 in the current academic year’s student grant scheme.
My Department also provides funding by way of the Students Assistance Fund to students in eligible Higher Education Institutions who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. The total allocation for the Fund in the current academic year, including additional Covid supports, is €18.5 million.
To inform the future direction of student supports, I commissioned the review of the Student Grant Scheme, which was published on 4th May. This provides a strong evidence basis for policy interventions to support students and their families. The research confirmed that the rate of grants for undergraduate student supports provided under the Student Grant Scheme has been relatively unchanged over the previous number of years due to budgetary constraints while over the same period the cost of living for students has increased by 25%.
My Department will be taking forward implementation of the Student Grant Scheme review. This will include the publication of a costs of education paper prior to the forthcoming Estimates. This will set out options for changes to the Student Grant Scheme and other measures to facilitate public discussion, including in the House, on what measures should be prioritised to support learners and their families.
