Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
298. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current position in regard to the payment of a SUSI grant in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29049/23]
View answerUnder the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending 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.
In order to be eligible for a grant, a student is required to be pursuing an approved course, as defined in Section 8(1) of the Student Support Act 2011. An approved course is one which is undertaken in an approved institution on a full-time basis and has been prescribed as an approved course. Approved courses for the 2022/23 academic year are prescribed in Article 4 of the Student Support Regulations 2022.
The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.
If an individual applicant considers that they have been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, they may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.
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 their 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). Such appeals can be made by the appellant on line via www.studentgrantappeals.ie .
With regard to the specific application, I have been advised by my officials that the student submitted an application to SUSI for grant funding for the 2022/23 academic year. On their original application form, received on 12 September 2022, they had applied for a B.Ed. in Montessori Education (NM801) in St Nicholas Montessori College. On 15 September 2022 SUSI received a course change notification to amend the course to Psychology NM802 in St Nicholas Montessori College. However, the applicant was not approved at any point for any course for the 2022/23 academic year.
A letter issued to the student on the 12 January 2023 advising that his application was refused as his chosen course was not an approved course under the terms of the Student Support Regulations 2022 The student submitted an appeal to SUSI and the Appeals Officer upheld the decision to refuse his application. A letter advising him of this outcome was issued on the 15 March 2023. His appeal was heard by the independent Student Grant Appeals Board on 16th May 2023 and the outcome was issued directly to him. He has now exhausted the appeals process.
Tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student’s local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie.
