Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise some concerns I have around the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant scheme for third level students. I do this, however, while acknowledging the good work the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, has done and the fact he has initiated some much-needed reform in this area, particularly around the regulations to increase the maintenance grant by €200 and to increase the income threshold for the standard rate of grant by €1,000. That is certainly welcome, but my concern relates specifically to the fact that despite the steering group review of the SUSI scheme and the Minister's action, the income threshold for student holiday earnings has remained capped at the totally unacceptable level of €4,500.

I raised the need to increase this earnings limit as part of my submission to the steering group last March. I was hopeful, along with others, such as the Union of Students in Ireland, this limit would be changed. Indeed, the last time the level of holiday earnings income was increased was in 2016, when the cap rose from €3,809 to €4,500. Since that time, students and the majority of people in this State, have faced massive and unsustainable levels of rent hikes, travel expenses and food price increases yet, despite all of this, the cap on earnings students can generate for themselves remains at the same level almost seven years on. That is totally unacceptable. The fact it did not change as part of the recent regulations the Minister, Deputy Harris, signed off on was certainly a lost opportunity and one that needs to be addressed and looked at again.

I asked the Minister, in a recent parliamentary question following his announcement, if he would reconsider the decision to leave the cap at €4,500 for student holiday earnings. He ruled this out by replying, "Any .. further increase [to the holiday earnings] threshold must be considered in the context of not adversely impacting upon retention rates [and] the student’s ability to primarily focus on successfully completing his [or] her studies." I respectfully suggest it is precisely this rigid inflexibility around student earnings that is creating the difficulties in retention and the ability of students to successfully complete their courses. In other words, a cap that is apparently designed to keep students in college or third level is now acting as a direct disincentive and a barrier to graduation. This is also having an impact on the retail and hospitality sectors, which cannot source students to do work because students cannot take on the number of hours they need.

I specifically request that the Government and the Minister immediately re-examine section 22(5)(b) of the Student Grant Scheme 2021 with a view to increasing the maximum earning caps from €4,500, even if that occurs on an incremental level equivalent to the increase that took place in 2016.

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