Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is no bother, Acting Chairman.

I welcome the opening remarks by both Ministers. They were very positive. As my colleague, Deputy Ó Laoghaire, said, we will check the Minister, Deputy Harris, on his actions on these and see how he gets on. Hopefully he will deliver on what he has said. I wish the Ministers the best of luck in their new roles, and especially my county colleague, Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins.

The Ministers will be aware that Limerick has a great number of third level institutions, including the University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate College, the Limerick College of Further Education and, of course, my old alma mater, the Limerick Institute of Technology, which includes the Limerick School of Art and Design.

Unfortunately, many constituents of mine in Limerick cannot afford to go to third level college. I wish to raise the issue of the SUSI grant with the Minister, Deputy Harris, and how difficult it is for many people to access the SUSI grant.

Working families are excluded from grants because the assessment criteria does not reflect the income available to the household. Bluntly, grant assessment is based on gross income not net income. This is wrong and leads to the exclusion from the grant process of many who are in need. Even if a person obtains a grant, in many cases it is simply not enough. The amount allocated is not adequate. The SUSI grant should contribute towards the day-to-day living costs, but the highest rate of grant is just too low. It does not cover accommodation costs for the academic year, let alone the high costs of books, food and utility bills. These moneys put huge stresses and burdens onto parents and students. The Minister is aware that traditionally, students could top up their grant amount by obtaining part-time work, especially seasonal work, over the summer months. This avenue of revenue, however, has all but ceased for many students due to the economic impact of the pandemic on the tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors. This will be devastating for many families who will not be able to fund third level education for their children.

I commend my party colleague, Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh, on the great work she did on the Tell the Real Story funding survey. The survey asked students directly about the financial costs of higher education. Some of the direct feedback was heartbreaking, even though I have heard it myself in my constituency office. Young people are not able to go to college due to their ineligibility for a grant. A two-parent working family could not afford university for a child due to the high day-to-day costs of living. I thank all those students and potential students who participated in the online survey as their stories have put a human face on the struggles of an often forgotten sector of our society.

Is it really a surprise that the SUSI grant is not adequate? It has not been increased since 2012. It is no longer fit for purpose. The grant payments must be increased along with an adjustment of the eligibility criteria. The financial impact of trying to attend a college does not end there. Students still have to pay the full €3,000 in registration fees.

My time is running out and I have a quick question for the Minister, Deputy Harris. The programme for Government committed to a review of the SUSI eligibility. Will the Minister provide an update as to how the review is progressing or can he confirm whether this review has started at all?

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