Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2024
1703. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason a SUSI grant was refused for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14993/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the terms of the Student Grant 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 decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.
As per Article 13(3) of the Student Grant Scheme 2023, as an Independent Student the applicant must be:
• 23 years of age or over on 1st January of the year when they first enter/re-enter further or higher education, and
• They must have been living independently from their parents/legal guardians from the October in the year prior to their first point of entry/re-entry into further or higher education and will be required to provide evidence of this.
The student referred to by the Deputy first application as an independent student was cancelled by SUSI incorrectly on 31 October 2023. The student re-applied on 27 November 2023 , and was asked to submit evidence of their independent residency in 2022 (dated no later than October) and 2023 (dated no later than the start date of their course).
The documents that the applicant submitted in December 2023 were not accepted as evidence of independent residency by SUSI as it was unclear if the bills submitted were for a fixed utility. Further documents were requested on 15 December 2023. As these were not submitted to SUSI within the timeframe set out in the letter, the applicant was sent a refusal letter dated 7 March 2024. The applicant has the right to appeal this decision within 30 days of the date of the letter. This period can be extended for a further 30 days at SUSI’s discretion. To date, an appeal has not been submitted.
Alternatively, the applicant may cancel their application and re-apply as a dependent student. As per Section 21 of the Student Grant Scheme 2023, as a dependent student the applicant’s income and the income of their parents would be taken into consideration when calculating the total household reckonable income for grant purposes.
