Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We will defer all housekeeping matters to tomorrow's meeting. Our main business today is the student grant application system. The meeting has been convened at short notice to address problems and delays that have arisen in the new system. I understand many frustrating delays are being experienced by students applying to the new body, Student Universal Support Ireland, known as SUSI. It appears the SUSI system has problems in coping with the volume of applications received. As a result, some students and their families are suffering without any indication being given of how long it will be before the students receive their grants. I thank the City of Dublin VEC officials for attending. We all remember the crisis in dealing with the backlog of medical card applications. The Joint Committee on Health and Children adopted a very proactive approach to solving that problem. This committee is attempting to do something similar. We have invited representatives of City of Dublin VEC to seek answers and outline what actions can be taken immediately to address the backlog of applications. To that end, I welcome Ms Jacinta Stewart, chief executive officer of City of Dublin VEC; Mr. Tom Prizeman, unit manager of SUSI; and Ms Kay Cullinane, principal officer in the Department of Education and Skills.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to this committee. If they are directed by it to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against a person or persons or an entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I now invite Ms Stewart to make her presentation.