Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the group to the committee. It is nice to see the faces behind the attack. I am just back on the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection so we have not met before. I think it ran quite a benevolent city.

I worked in third level for 35 years so I have some idea of the grant system and what students go through and Deputy McConalogue was absolutely right, there is a great need for this to work efficiently. How much does SUSI cost to administer and how many people work there? How much does it cost as an organisation to administer and to staff? How much money was given out in grants in total last year? How much did the 39,524 grants cost us? What was the greatest reason for ineligibility for the 30,000 applicants who were refused? What was the greatest problem? Was it lack of perception or lack of communication and the fact there was no joined-up thinking between the Revenue Commissioners, the CAO and the Department of Social Protection? There was a good study on this but I want to know what was the elephant in the room.