Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend SUSI, Student Universal Support Ireland, for the fact that the applications process is much better. I know that there were teething problems in the first year, but most of the complaints I now receive are about the criteria to be applied under the scheme. We have, therefore, come a long way. Mr. Brian Power stated: "The assessment of income from the same starting point [gross income] is considered to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions in different households." That is arguable because, at same time, it takes no account of different costs of living. Obviously, the income limits are far more generous for somebody living outside Dublin than they are for those in the capital, with no account taken of mortgage payments and so forth. The Department is treating families the same when disposable incomes are very different. The Government had initially indicated that it would review the means test. Like everyone else in the education sector, I have read John Walsh’s book and I am aware of the political reality as to why it was not done. A political decision was made not to look at the means test. Has this been parked at a policy level? Is the fairness of the means test being reviewed? A Dublin PAYE worker with a large mortgage might find himself or herself just outside the net, which is particularly unfair on him or her.

How will lone parents be affected when they lose the one-parent family payment? Previously, they were able to keep the payment and stay in education. As of 2 July, once a child is over seven years of age, lone parents will lose the one-parent family payment altogether. What assistance will be available for them? Will the back to education allowance be their only option? This is a significant issue and it is a very unfair cut. I know that the officials cannot comment on it, but I am concerned how lone parents will be dealt with by the education system. How will we ensure people will not drop out of education and miss the second-chance opportunity they need because of this cut to their income?

As they stand, the requirements for somebody to prove they have been estranged from their parents are very strict. I understand it is an issue the USI, Union of Students in Ireland, has raised with SUSI and the Department previously and that a commitment was given that it would be examined. Where stands the Department on this issue? I appreciate that set criteria are needed, against which applications can be judged. Sometimes, however, crude criteria can mean that people in difficult circumstances who cannot live at home because of domestic violence, for example, have difficulties in obtaining all of the documentation the Department requires to prove they are eligible for estrangement support. That can be unfair. Has the Department examined how other countries deal with this issue to come up with a better system to deal with the matter of estrangement?

The Student Grants Appeals Board can and does make recommendations to the Department on changes to the grants scheme. What changes has it recommended? Which ones have been accepted and which have not?

I raised the issue of the student assistance fund with the Minister in the Seanad last week. USI figures show that by the end of December 2014 many colleges had completely exhausted their allocations for 2014 and 2015. This means that a student in dire circumstances next month may be faced with dropping out of college for the sake of a few hundred euro for his or her rent. This fund gives colleges discretion and flexibility to help students in such circumstances, but it is now completely exhausted in many colleges. Is SUSI looking to increase the allocation in this regard?