Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2012
59 Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons who were employed nationally in 2011 to assess student grant applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24666/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is estimated that some 170 staff have been involved in the student grants administration function across 66 grant awarding bodies nationwide — 33 VECs and 33 local authorities. The single grant awarding authority, Student Universal Support Ireland, or SUSI, which has been established as a unit of the City of Dublin VEC, will operate with a whole time equivalent staffing of 65, thereby reducing the number of administration staff currently operating the system in the 66 grant awarding bodies significantly once the transition is complete. SUSI will commence operation of the nationwide online grant application system for all new grant applicants for the 2012/13 academic year.
The existing 66 grant awarding bodies will continue to deal with the renewal of applications for their existing grant-holders for the duration of their current courses.
60 Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Cork who is continuing postgraduate study of the same subject can be considered an existing postgraduate student for the purposes of a higher education grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24694/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant. However, in the context of the necessary but difficult expenditure reduction measures announced in Budget 2012, students entering new postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards will not be entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme. This would appear to be the situation in the case adverted to by the Deputy. Existing postgraduate students in receipt of a grant for their current course and continuing on the same course in the 2012/13 academic year will not be affected.
Those students who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant will be eligible to have their post-graduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit under the Student Grant Scheme. In addition, a further limited number of students who would previously have qualified under the standard grant thresholds will qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the costs of their fees. My Department estimates that this will help an additional 4,000 postgraduate students. There will be a new income threshold for this payment which will be lower than the standard grant threshold.
The income threshold for this level of grant is currently being determined in the context of the formulation of the student grant scheme for the 2012/13 academic year. It is expected that the scheme will be published to coincide with the projected go-live date for the new online grant application system on 28 May 2012.
