Ms Lorna Fitzpatrick:

I thank members for having us today. I am here on behalf of the Union of Students in Ireland, which represents more than 374,000 students across the island of Ireland. USI recognises and appreciates that the SUSI grant is a great support to students throughout their time in college. We welcome this review. We believe there is a wider issue with budget decisions that have had an impact on students and their families, such as changes to the adjacency rate and cuts to the levels of awards for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. USI has been lobbying for the reversal of those decisions since 2011, which is laid out in our pre-budget submission, which was circulated to the committee in advance of this meeting.

I will address the eligibility criteria. We understand the need for procedures to facilitate a faster application and decision-making process but we believe there are areas that can be improved, which could lead to a much better system that could better support students through their time in college. We believe there is a need for additional flexibility with regard to the eligibility procedures. As we know, life can be full of unexpected occurrences and as a result, some applications may not fit the criteria as comfortably as others. We believe there should be flexibility to support students throughout the application procedure and that they should be supported when there is a clear need for support but they may not exactly meet each criterion outlined. This flexibility should extend to supporting documentation requested and we believe the documentation accepted should be reviewed and extended, especially about residency and independent status. Given the current costs associated with accessing education, we recommend that the earning limit and specific time period that students can work under be removed from the holiday earnings element of the SUSI application.

The second element we were asked to comment on related to the application procedure. We commend SUSI on the work it has completed in improving the application procedure for students, including the students' union, SU, officer helpline, which is an invaluable source. We believe a change in the system of how SUSI notifies colleges about awards granted to students would be helpful. We have heard from students who have been contacted by colleges about missing fee payment deadlines. However, they received an award and their fees have been covered by SUSI. This has resulted in students being prevented from accessing certain areas on campus and their online learning platforms, which, as the committee will understand, has a significant impact on their educational experience.

We were asked to consider the appeals process. Again, we believe there should be more flexibility allowed for changes in circumstances. Students experience many changes throughout their time in college, some of which are completely out of their control and we do not believe they should be penalised for this. We also recommend that greater emphasis be placed on exceptional circumstances when students are appealing a SUSI decision. If they have applied to SUSI and later experience something that qualifies as an exceptional circumstance, they should be in a position to appeal the original decision and fully understand the procedure available to them to do so.

The Union of Students in Ireland welcomes the opportunity to review the SUSI grants system. We believe this sets the agenda for reforms to ensure students who are in need of financial support can receive such support to further their education. Our submission goes into more detail on some of the topics I have highlighted but also makes additional recommendations, on which I will gladly answer questions. Students and their families are struggling to access post-second level education. SUSI is a great support to students and helps to alleviate some of the financial pressures. However, with fees among the highest in the world and the spiralling cost of living, students need additional financial support. That being said, making the system more user-friendly and flexible would be a welcome advancement. We need to break down the barriers faced by students when accessing education. Reforming the SUSI system would be one step on that path.