Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider an alternative means for the assessment of higher education grants in view of the difficulties that have arisen in the current year; if a return to the previous method of assessment by local authorities is likely to be considered in the short and or medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51584/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Up until last year, students applied to their local authority or VEC for their grants. Some 66 grant awarding authorities were involved, all using a variety of application, assessment and payment processes. Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) replaces all of these with a centralised, and on-line system of application.While there have been problems with the first year of the new system, I still believe that policy decision was correct, and that the establishment of a single grant awarding body will serve our students better in the long run. A number of measures have been put in place to address the current processing backlogs and the situation is being kept under continuous review to ensure the timely processing of grants for this current year.