Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy makes a fair point. We introduced a number of measures that she has acknowledged and welcomed. She also made the not unfair point that when a measure is introduced in the budget, a student or indeed anybody has to wait many months or until the next academic year to feel its impact. I am encouraged by the fact that with the publication of the summer economic statement this week and the comments of the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, there is a clear acknowledgement that measures we bring in must have an immediate effect. I am working on that basis to see what we can do for the education sector in 2023 as well as what we can do immediately to help students, families and parents with the cost-of-living crisis.

Addressing the cost of education for students and families is a major priority for me. As part of the last budget, I prioritised a number of changes to the SUSI grant scheme, which will benefit learners from September. People often ask what will happen between now and the budget. In our sector, we will see improvements and changes. From September, all student maintenance grants will increase across the board. Every grant will increase by €200, but that does not tell the full story. Due to the changes we have made to adjacency rules, a number of students will see their grants increase by well over 20%. Some will increase by more than 30%. We have increased the income thresholds, an area I want to go further in, by €1,000 so that more people will apply and qualify for SUSI. We are providing the funding through the student assistance fund, as I mentioned in my discussion with Deputy Boyd Barrett.

I think the Deputy will agree that we need to take an evidence-based approach in terms of what is the most appropriate thing to do. In that regard, the SUSI student grant scheme review is a welcome piece of work. It is not my piece of work. Published on 4 May, it involved experts, students, and stakeholders through a massive public consultation process, and outlines what we need to do next in clear, stark terms. I will draw on that in terms of the strong evidence base for policy interventions. As stated previously, we will publish a cost of education paper in September that will set out, for the Deputy, for other Members of the House and for everybody else, the various options we can consider in advance of the budget. I hope that will lead to an informed discussion.

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