Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the time taken to process appeals upheld by Student Universal Support Ireland; his views on whether this time is efficient in view of the length of time students are already waiting for their grants to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11810/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the process involved in finalising an appeal upheld by Student Universal Support Ireland; and if he will provide detail on the timeframes involved for each process. [11811/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 89 together.

Where an appeal is upheld i.e. the original decision was overturned, it is understood from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that it is currently taking 12 working days to re-process it. The process involved in finalising an appeal upheld by SUSI is that these cases are referred in date order to an assessment team to be reviewed. The time taken to review and/or re-assess an application may differ from case to case, depending on whether a full re-assessment is necessary or not. In some cases information may need to be obtained from the applicant to make a final determination. The time taken to pay an applicant whose appeal has resulted in an award or change of level of award depends on whether a person was already in receipt of a maintenance grant or not from SUSI.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in reassessing an appeal which was upheld on 5 February 2013 in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; the reason Student Universal Support Ireland are advising that appeals upheld by them are generally taking two weeks to process when clearly this is not so; the reason SUSI have advised the applicant that this process may take another four weeks before their grant is processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11822/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, her student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI and the original decision was overturned. The student's application was reassessed and on the 28th February 2013, a revised award letter issued to the student.