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

Again, I ask the Minister to provide the updated figure on the number of grants that have been paid at this stage. The Minister indicated prior to Christmas that he expected 90% of the total students who will receive a grant to be paid before Christmas. As I noted in early January, only half of this group had been paid their grants at that point. It is unacceptable that Deputies are continually informed that Student Universal Support Ireland is awaiting documentation. Many of the third level students affected by this issue are in desperate need of their payment. It is also unacceptable to try to create an impression that the reason for the delay is that SUSI is awaiting documentation from this group because that is simply not the case. Deputies and members of students unions are able to show that many students, having supplied documentation, have been asked to produce it a second, third and in some cases fourth time. How many grants have been paid and what percentage of the anticipated total number of grants does this represent?

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