Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to focus on people under the age of 23 who may be estranged from their parents. I will give two examples of the difficulties that are being caused. I know of a student who has provided SUSI with letters from her local general practitioner, from the counselling services within her college and from other Government Departments stating that she is estranged from her parents. I am trying to understand why SUSI has responded to this case as it has. The only statutory instrument I can find that relates to this issue is SI No. 159 of last year, Article 21(3)(b) of which provides that students may be assessed on their own means "where it is established to the satisfaction of the relevant awarding authority" that the student "is irreconcilably estranged from both of his or her parents". The statutory instrument does not set out how that can be proven. It seems from the responses to the parliamentary questions I have tabled on this matter that the only evidence SUSI will accept must come from a social worker or from someone employed by the HSE. That creates problems for a number of students who might not have any business with a social worker or any interaction with HSE officials. That is where the problem lies.

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