John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Leyden's comments on third level grants and the operation of Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI. It is scandalous and outrageous that as Christmas approaches, only 20,000 of 66,000 student grants have been awarded. I am not sure if the moneys have even been paid. I have been contacted by students who are threatening to withdraw from college. It is outrageous that Student Universal Support Ireland, in correspondence with the Minister, has blamed students for the delay by pointing out that it is awaiting further documentation in the case of 25,424 of the 66,000 applications for student grants.

Last month, when I contacted my local vocational education committee and the grant section of Roscommon County Council asking how many grants had been paid by that stage in 2011, I was informed that 95% of grants had been awarded by this time last year. How can the new system blame students for the failure to pay out 70% of grants given that more than 95% of awards had been paid out by this time last year? Student Universal Support Ireland is clearly not fit for purpose. At this late stage, some of the files it holds should be sent to the vocational education committees and county councils because a failure to do so will guarantee that some students will still not have received their grants by next June. I refer to those who will be fortunate enough to still be at college.