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

I concur with other members that the proposal is practical and pragmatic, but I do not agree with all of it. The setting up of SUSI has possibly made the system more transparent; therefore, we can have more confidence in it, unlike the old one. Also, the demographics have changed in how grants are awarded, which says something about the system in place prior to the setting up of SUSI.

USI's view of assets is a fudge. I have attended briefings by it and believe there is a battle within it. Those running it favour the status quo,which very much means that the system favours people living in rural areas as opposed to those living in urban areas under the PAYE system and that it also favours the the self-employed. In this regard, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence and some stories do stack up. I refer to the children of doctors receiving grants as opposed to somebody who is the child of a bus driver. Such claims lead to a question mark being placed over the current system. That is the only difficulty I have with the proposal. The USI should show leadership in the issue. It should outline what is the right thing to do and decide whether assets should form part of the picture.