Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 90: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if, in view of the increased need for the student assistance fund, he will increase the budget for SAF. [27722/11]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that there are agreed national procedures and criteria for the administration and distribution of the student assistance fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27834/11]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if further funding will be made available for the student assistance fund (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27859/11]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills, with regard to the student assistance fund, if an increase will be provided in the current funding levels to cater for the increased number of students in severe financial difficulty and for continuing students affected by changes in non-adjacent grant eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27868/11]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce a fund for students pursuing further education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27869/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 90, 103, 105, 114 and 115 together.

The management of the Third Level Access Measures Fund rests with the Higher Education Authority and the allocation of funding for the various access measures, one of which is the Student Assistance Fund, is a matter for that authority. Some €15.3m is available in the Fund overall to support individual students under these initiatives.

Agreed national guidelines for the operation of the Fund are in place. However, to take account of the individual needs of students in different institutions, the institutions have discretion to target the resources at those deemed most in need of support. This approach supports the dual function of the fund, which is to provide 'once-off' emergency financial need and also provide assistance to students in need of ongoing financial support.

Each institution has an SAF Committee which adjudicates on decisions for support to students. The Committee can include (but is not limited to) the following personnel; access officer, student welfare officer, financial officer, mature student officer and chaplain.

The Deputies will be aware that the Student Assistance Fund is complementary to the student grant scheme and, in this regard, students on particularly low incomes continue to receive a top-up in the special rate of student grant and have their fees or student contribution paid on their behalf.