Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue and I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon. I wish to discuss the new online grant application system and, in particular, the website grantsonline.ie. The issue relates specifically to self-employed parents who have had difficulties when using this new website. When parents get to the stage of the online process which asks for their income for 2011, those who are self-employed are having a problem. The website asks self-employed people to submit an income for 2011 but it gives them no option to input details for 2010, the most recent tax year for which they have fully accounted. For PAYE workers the most recent completed taxes are for 2011 but for self-employed people, their most fully completed taxes are for 2010. Self-employed people who, for tax purposes, operate under the system of self-assessment are not required to submit their 2011 tax returns until 31 October of this year.

As the Minister of State knows, for self-employed people, the system of higher education grant applications was always based on the most recent set of accounts and on the most recent tax return. Basing the system on the most recent tax return was a fair and equitable system and ensured the income figures were accurate and were accurately reported. I have been contacted by many parents who do not know what to do. They are unsure what figures they should give.

I am aware there is a support desk in place which allows people to make contact if they are having problems. However, as the Minister of State knows, this support system, which can be contacted by telephone or e-mail, does not necessarily give the answer for which parents are looking. While the support desk is very welcome, the advice being given needs to be clarified for the parents in question. In one case, a parent telephoned the helpline only to be told this is how the new system operates and that he or she should put in an estimate for his or her self-employed income for 2011. To me and many others like me, this is unacceptable. The system of grant applications must be fair and based on actual income which can be verified by means of documentation from Revenue. Any other system would be unfair and would lead to further complications.

To be fair to all applicants, the system should be open and transparent, and every applicant should be treated equitably and fairly. The only fair way to assess income is based on verified tax returns or audited accounts. If any other method of declaring income is used, it could be open to exploitation. This problem is more than likely an anomaly on the website, and I hope the Minister of State can rectify it. I believe it can be rectified easily.

The Department of Education and Skills has made significant and welcome changes to the grant application process. It has been standardised and now involves a streamlined, easily accessed system. Instead of having 66 awarding authorities, we now have one body, SUSI. Every grant applicant can now apply online. This is to be commended and welcomed.

This week is the last week of the leaving certificate examinations. As students complete their exams, they look forward to a universal system under which they need not worry about having to engage in a convoluted process of applying for higher education grants.

It is vital that we learn from the mistakes associated with the medical card process. We saw what happened after the streamlining. It is vital that the grant application system does not make the application procedure more difficult. As with all changes, evolution is required, but I hope the new online system will take on board feedback. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply.

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