Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Power for raising this important matter, which I have been discussing with the president of the USI in recent weeks. The objective of the student assistance fund, which was established in 1994, is to assist, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, students who might otherwise, as a result of financial reasons, suffer severe hardship or be unable to continue with their third level studies. The fund is an important source of support for students who experience hardship while in college. It is a component of the third level access measure, which is managed on behalf of my Department by the Higher Education Authority, HEA. That measure comprises two sub-priorities, namely, the student assistance fund and the fund for students with disabilities. The management of the third level access measure rests with the HEA and the allocation of funding for the sub-priorities in a particular year is a matter for the authority. The overall allocation to the HEA in respect of the third level access measure was in excess of €15 million for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years.

The student access fund is allocated annually to universities, institutes of technology, colleges of education and a number of other higher education institutions. Information on the fund is available through access officers in third level institutions. This year the HEA plans to commission an independent review of policy, guidelines and practice in respect of the student assistance fund. We know that practice varies widely between the institutions and, therefore, I am of the opinion that the review is very welcome. The overall education budget has been fully committed for this year. However, I will continue to liaise with the USI and the HEA to explore how students in need can best be supported.