Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I will ask my colleague, the Minister for Transport, to revert to the Deputy on the issue regarding public transport.

The changes I have spoken about will come in for students from this September. The grants will increase by €200 and the income threshold by €1,000. The qualifying criteria for the higher and non-adjacent rate will reduce from having to live 45 km away to 30 km away. Those changes will come in from September.

Deputy Conway-Walsh and I engaged earlier on when any more changes that come in by way of the budget will take effect. That will be a matter for the budget.

The Deputy has hit on an important issue about stress, anxiety, mental health, worry and cost of living. There is a student assistance fund in place separate to the SUSI grant scheme. There is over €18 million in that fund. It is available through every access office in our publicly funded higher education institutions and is there for students who find themselves in hard times and in need of additional financial assistance.

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