Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have outlined, there is no provision for ministerial discretion in this scheme. This is a statute-based scheme. SUSI was appointed to carry out the assessments, and it does so under the provisions of the scheme. It is not open to me or indeed to anyone else to, at the stroke of a pen, change the operation of that scheme. I draw the Deputy's attention to the student assistance fund, which is administered in each college. It has funding available to support, in confidential way, the position of any individual family. That has to be decided by the administrators of that fund on an individual basis, but it is designed to meet situations of particular hardship. The Department makes provision for that fund each year, and I will make arrangements to send the details of that fund to the Deputy.

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