Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2021
172. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total allocated Exchequer funds for 2021 for the student grant scheme, student assistance scheme and associated supports, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47054/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe principal support provided by my Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the 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.
The scheme is demand led and as such the numbers applying each year can change for reasons such as demographics, employment rates etc. The budgetary provision for the Student Grant Scheme in 2021 is €364.5M, plus €9.05M to cover SUSI administrative costs.
The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. Students can be assisted towards costs such as rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. Students on full or part-time courses leading to a higher education award (NQF level 6-10) in the universities, institutes of technology and other approved colleges can apply for the SAF. The core allocation for the SAF is €9.1 million per annum which is expected to support circa 14,000 students. This includes €1 million which was added to the fund in 2017 for part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups. Prior to that the fund supported full-time students only. In July 2021, as part of the €21 million of extra supports for students in further and higher education, an additional €10 million in financial support to students in financial difficulties while in higher education. This will be mainly made available through the Student Assistance Fund. This Department is working closely with the Higher Education Authority regarding the best way for disbursing the funds to the Higher Education Institutions to ensure students who find themselves in a financial situation are supported.
The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) supports participation by students with a disability in further and higher education. The FSD is one of the main funding sources supporting participation by students with disabilities in approved further and higher education courses in Ireland. It also supports students from Ireland to study on approved courses in Northern Ireland, the UK and other EU countries. The actual level of support to be provided to individual students is decided by each HEI who carry out a needs assessment to determine the types of supports and accommodations needed. The 2021 allocation to the fund is €7.658m which supports circa 14,000 students.
The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Fund is the funding mechanism that supports the implementation of the current National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (NAP) 2015 - 2021. There are three strands of the PATH fund and the 2021 allocation for the fund is just over €9m.
