Ray Butler (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One would have expected officials from the Department and staff from SUSI to have met representatives of the 26 local authorities and vocational education committees which previously operated the student grant system. Unfortunately that was not the case, and it was a matter of having all hands on deck. We have learned a great deal and moved on.

The documentation provided to students was a major problem. Some of those who contacted my constituency office had not received payments despite having submitted documentation two or three times. They were informed that the documentation had not been received and this was causing a delay in processing their application. This was a major problem.

Another problem arose in respect of the returns of self-employed people. The self-employed make their returns in October every year. It would be helpful if applicants were allowed to submit returns from the previous rather than current year. The self-employed are at the mercy of their accountants, many of whom are busy. Perhaps it would suffice if applicants submitted a return for the previous year.

I welcome many of the changes, including the proposal to move the entire process online.

As Deputy Jonathan O'Brien noted, a major problem arose with regard to bank details. I welcome the decision to have bank details provided at the start of the application process rather than at its conclusion.

Staffing numbers have been discussed. Is Ms Stewart satisfied with the number of staff available to SUSI? While we all took a hammering because of problems in the new system, I believe it will be excellent in future. I welcome the regular meetings with SUSI.