The principle support provided by my Department in financial terms is the student grant scheme, which makes available means-tested financial assistance to students in further and higher education. The student grant scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students on full-time courses who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means.
I can confirm that persons in receipt of One Parent Family Payments may be eligible for the special rate of maintenance grant provided they meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
In addition, for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme, persons in receipt of One Parent Family Payments (Means Tested), where paid to the applicant, are classified as an “income disregard” and these payments are not included in calculating reckonable income.
The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. Students can be assisted towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. The SAF is open to full-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification.
Higher education institutions such as Tallaght Institute of Technology are autonomous bodies and are responsible for the day to day operations of the Institute including the provision of services for its students and for the procurement of goods and services.
However, my Department has been advised that the Institute intends to undertake this procurement process again on 15th August 2017 and that as an interim measure it will continue to financially support qualifying students, by contributing to the cost of childcare in statutorily approved crèche facilities/ and /or child-minders registered and approved by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
Details on the qualifying criteria and the application process will be published on 23rd July 2017 at http://www.it-tallaght.ie/childcare.
