Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) in relation to an education grant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39381/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications from the 2012/13 academic year is a matter for the new centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). The basis on which the income of self employed persons is determined has not changed with the introduction of the new centralised grant awarding authority. In the case where an accounting year end differs from the tax year, the income shown in the business accounts for a year which ends between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2011 is acceptable for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme. This is the basis on which income was determined in previous years and is the same as used by the Revenue Commissioners to compute income for the tax year.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a student grant will be provided to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39443/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the central grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application in relation to means, residency, nationality and previous academic attainment, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a grant.

Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that an application was received from the student in question on the 8th August 2012 and that a decision on his eligibility for a student grant issued on 14 August, 2012 refusing him a grant on the basis that he indicated on his application that he intended to pursue year 1 of a level 7 course which represented a repeat period of study in his case. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.

Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that SUSI has not interpreted the scheme correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grant Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.