Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in comparison to last year's figures the number of new or first time grant applications have been received this year. [56476/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that, as at the close of business on the 16th December, it has received 67,029 student grant applications for this academic year.

A survey completed by the grant awarding authorities in January each year provides details in relation to processing of grant applications as at the third week in January. The processing position as at the 21 January 2012 in relation to new applications in 2011/12 academic year was that a total of 66,479 application were received across the 66 awarding authorities of which 8,844 were transferred to another local authority or VEC to whom it was appropriate, which meant that the total number of applications to be processed by these bodies was 57,635 in 2011/12. This data has been compiled from data supplied to my Department by the 66 grant awarding authorities.