Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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84. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether a significant increase in funding is required to ensure that the SUSI grant covers the genuine costs related to access third level and further training; and if this will be addressed as part of the review of the SUSI grant scheme. [31323/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have made clear from day one that access and inclusion are at the core of my vision for my new Department.

My Department will spend well over €400 million on student supports in 2020 including the SUSI scheme. As part of Budget 2021, I have secured an additional €20 million to provide for additional applicants, €6 million to expand supports to postgraduate students and an additional €1.5 million to support the most disadvantaged students through the 1916 Bursary scheme. I have also secured a €50 million fund to support full-time students in third level this year.

This is on top of a range of additional supports which have been provided to reflect the particular circumstances of learners affected by the pandemic, including an additional €10m for access supports services, €15m in IT equipment grants and €3m for wellbeing and mental health.

There is an immediate challenge which we must meet in responding to the changed economic circumstances. During the course of 2020, SUSI has experienced an increase in the number of applications for grant assistance as well as the number of students seeking a review based on the change of circumstances provision in the scheme. This is primarily due to the negative impact that Covid-19 has had on tenure of employment and income levels. To date there has been an increase of 4% in the number of applications received by SUSI in comparison to this time last year. It is estimated that SUSI will receive over 100,000 applications for the 2020/21 academic year compared to 96,094 for the 2019/20 academic year.

I want to look strategically at the wide range of issues related to the SUSI scheme, and that is why I recently announced plans to review the scheme. It is intended that the Review will commence before the end of 2020, and will report in Summer 2021. Stakeholders will be consulted as part of the Review process. The amount allocated to SUSI in any given year will continue to depend on the annual Estimates cycle, but it is my intention that the future direction of the SUSI scheme will be guided by the outcome of the Review.