Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It may not be a major factor in every case but for the individual cases in which it may be a factor, it could be life-changing. This is the issue. My understanding is that there is a €4,500 income disregard applied to any income earned during the period for the SUSI grant applications and students are being advised that income from the PUP payment is not included in the income disregard. I am asking the Minister that the PUP be automatically included in the income disregard for applicants of the SUSI grant scheme because, as the Minister has repeated, there does not appear to be a huge problem. However, the Minister must concede that even if it is in one case, it will be life-changing for that individual student. Given the circumstances that we have all lived through for the past year, it is not worth it for this anomaly to continue to stand over a system that should be more flexible considering the type of industries that students normally work in, such as the hospitality sector and retail.

See this speech in context