Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a further failure some two months from the Minister's apology, with only half of the people having been paid. There is a constant tenor running through the responses from the Department and the Minister on the issue over the past few months that what is happening is similar to what happened in other years.

The Minister tried to give this impression again today when he stated this year's figure is not significantly different from figures for previous years. Many students are experiencing exceptional hardship as a result of what has occurred. It is a disgrace that at a time when families and students face so many economic pressures, the primary cause of hardship for students has been the Government's incompetence in failing to deliver student grants on time. How many students have been paid the grant? When will all of those who have provided the documentation requested by Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, receive their grants?

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