Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 September 2020
27. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the dilemma for candidates applying to the SUSI system for doctoral funding as an independent candidate who cannot claim to have been living independently from the previous October due to circumstances in relation to Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22639/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI congratulate the Minister on his appointment to this new position. I am no stranger to some of the work he is doing in the Department and I wish him well.
This is an incredibly important time for many undergraduates and postgraduates. The lives of all citizens have been changed by Covid-19. Today I highlight the ability of young people to access higher education funding under the SUSI system. Many young people have moved home from across the globe and elsewhere Ireland due to Covid-19. They are now ineligible to be classified as independent candidates under SUSI as they have not been deemed as living independently since the previous October. Does the Minister recognise this dilemma? Has his Department brought forward steps to address this particular issue for doctoral funding?
I congratulate Deputy O'Connor on his election. I think he is the youngest Deputy in the House, as I once was, although I have now reached the ripe old age of 33.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, on which he also wrote to me. The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for Student Universal Support Ireland. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent student, that is, assessed without reference to parental income and address, if he or she has attained the age of 23 on 1 January of the year of first entry to an approved course and is not ordinarily resident with parents from the previous 1 October. Otherwise, he or she is assessed as a dependent student.
A student’s status for grant purposes is defined at his or her first point of entry to an approved further or higher education course or at his or her point of re-entry to an approved course following a break from studies of at least three years, and continues to apply for the duration of his or her studies. Therefore, for students seeking entry to the 2020-21 scheme as independent, 1 October 2019 would be the relevant date for determining their status. This obviously predates the exceptional circumstances arising from the response to Covid-19 earlier in the current year.
Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be assessed as an independent student for grant purposes, or who cannot supply the necessary documentation to establish independent living for the required period, may still apply to SUSI to have their grant eligibility assessed as a dependent student. The relevant information, including details of parental income, would be required.
Students in third level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the student assistance fund. This fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. This can be accessed through the access officer in the third level institution attended. We have doubled the funding in the scheme which is administered on a confidential basis.
I get the sense that Deputy O'Connor has a particular issue on the need for common sense to prevail this year. I would welcome his taking the opportunity to expand on that.
The system to qualify as an independent candidate under SUSI sets a very high bar. Having to live independently since the previous October, and having to be over the age of 23 years when first entering higher education or having a three-year gap in higher education to qualify as an independent candidate, can be very difficult for many families. I do not think we can suggest that these criteria are solely for the purpose of means testing in the current economic climate. I ask the Minister to recognise that the criteria deter young people from continuing in higher education.
Covid-19 has shown the importance of continuing to support research and development. I welcome the creation of the Minister's Department and hope he gets the opportunity to address this problem.
Will the Minister explain further the rationale for the eligibility criteria? What alternative funding has the Department made available or does it plan to make available to meet the current shortfalls? Many young people will continue to pursue higher education if the necessary funding is provided.
I endorse Deputy O'Connor's remarks. I know of people who had to change their plans and move home. They now hope to go on to education but they are unable to produce a utility bill as evidence of independent living. They had to move to their parents' house due to the emergency and that should be taken into consideration.
The determining date will be 1 October 2019 but if it is necessary for me to provide further clarity or assistance on that, I will be happy to do so. Deputy O'Connor makes a valid point. Through this example and other correspondence he has sent me, he highlights the need to overhaul the entire student support scheme. He has asked me to stand over the logic of the system. I can read out long explanations for how the logic was arrived at and why the legal position, underpinned in this House in statute, is in place. However, times change and lives change. The way in which we live our lives changes, as does the education system. That is why, when we negotiated the programme for Government, we included a firm commitment not only to review but to radically overhaul the student support scheme. This is an area I will examine in that context.
Budget 2021 will be announced in October. We cannot do everything in one day but the budget may provide space to carry out the comprehensive review of the student support scheme over the coming months. The student assistance fund is the alternative funding available in the meantime, which we have doubled to €16 million this year.
I thank the Minister for that information. I appreciate that he is going to review the Student Support Act 2011. This is an opportunity for the Minister to think outside the box and look at what other countries are doing to provide funding for PhD candidates. The Netherlands offers a very interesting example, which is very different to Ireland. PhD candidates there are treated as employees of their university or third level institution. Perhaps there is an opportunity for us to look at alternative ways of addressing this problem that could be sustained in the future, not just during the pandemic. Now is the time for radical action on this. The Minister himself has said this is an issue. I look forward to working with him on it in the future. I sincerely hope that in the next number of weeks, he will take the time to address the problems I have outlined to him today.
I thank Deputy O'Connor. I am more than willing to work with the Deputy on this, knowing his knowledge, interest and past experience in the area. I assure him that we will look to best practice in other countries. I hope the establishment of our new Department provides an opportunity to bring a new focus and energy to these issues in a way that may not have been humanly possible when they were part of the broader remit of the Department of Education and Skills.
The Deputy's implied point about precarious employment is a very valid one. We are beginning to see the impact of that in several areas. I refer particularly to the issue of harassment, which has been discussed in recent days. I have heard that precarious employment often leaves people feeling very vulnerable in certain scenarios. That is not good enough. I will certainly look at the issues the Deputy refers to concerning the treatment of PhD students and how they can be protected and offered a degree of security and certainty.
