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Student Grant Scheme Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 July 2019

Wednesday, 10 July 2019

Ceisteanna (201)

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

201. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated first and full-year cost of decreasing the non-adjacent rate of third-level grants from 45 km to 24 km; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30343/19]

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Freagraí scríofa

The student maintenance grant is a contribution towards the living costs of a student. It is not intended to cover the full cost of attending college. The student grant scheme does, however, provide for different levels of maintenance support, depending on means. Grants are also provided at adjacent and non-adjacent rates. The higher non-adjacent rates are intended to provide additional support to those students who may be living away from home.

Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures which came into effect for the 2011/12 academic year, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres.

The 24km distance criterion was originally set in 1968 and had not been updated in more than 40 years. Since then, significant improvements have taken place in the road and rail network and it is considered that the revised distance criteria is more consistent with the type of distances that students may legitimately be expected to commute to college.

The current qualifying distance of 45km for the higher non-adjacent rate of student grant takes into account a reasonable radius within which students may commute on a daily basis.

The first year cost of "decreasing the non-adjacent rate of third-level grants from 45km to 24km" is estimated to be in the region of €11.5m. The full year cost of this proposal would be in the region of €26m.

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