Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This may not affect very many families but it is very important nonetheless. I understand the exclusion of the working family payment from reckonable income and that is appropriate. The fact remains that there are families who are in receipt of this payment and in order to survive, raise their families and educate them, they do that in spite of the fact that they are denied a maintenance grant due to the income thresholds. These income thresholds exacerbate the problem because they are banded. For example, a family that I know that has seven children, four of whom were in college, is assessed to be in the same band as a family with four children. The Minister is aware of the amount of college fees and the maintenance that is required. The cost of educating and raising each additional child is not considered at all in the SUSI calculation. This affects families in Kerry particularly because they have to travel to go to college. I have heard of children who have had to leave college because of the financial pressures.

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