Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept some of the matters the Deputy has highlighted and the need for improvement. I particularly agree with her on the issue of part-time students. We need to do some work on defining what a part-time student is. I do not say that in any smart or flippant way. Obviously, there are many different types of part-time courses. What constitutes a part-time student for the purposes of the grant involves genuine technical and somewhat legal issues that we will need to work through. We should do that and we will do that.

I want students to know this. The Deputy is right that students are not immune from the cost-of-living pressures - far from it. Many are experiencing those costs which is why we made the additional allocation to the student assistance fund. I want students to know that it is there. It is available through their access office. Students should know that it is there for one-off bills for people who are struggling financially. I want to get that message out. I sometimes worry that this message does not get out to students on the ground as much as it needs to through the access office. The student assistance fund is there. We have made changes to the SUSI grant scheme that have already taken effect, including specifically for postgraduate students and the grant scheme will open in coming days for the forthcoming academic year.

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