Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm the number of student grant applications submitted to SUSI that have been deemed ineligible as they have not been completed within the time frame set out; if he will confirm the number of student grant applications in County Tipperary rejected for the same reasons; if he will concede that the delay in many of these cases was caused by SUSI rather than the applicant; his views on whether this rejection is fair; if he will immediately re-open these applications without forcing students to appeal in view of the delays in the SUSI system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26997/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Since December 2012, SUSI have engaged in a number of proactive campaigns by telephone, email and post encouraging applicants to provide the information necessary to finalise their applications.

In addition, I am informed by Student Universal Support Ireland that a structured close out campaign of incomplete applications has been in place since January 2013. This close out campaign involved direct contact by SUSI with applicants by post, e-mail and telephone requesting the return of required supporting documentation for SUSI to complete their assessment. SUSI have confimed that some 9,730 applications have been refused as they failed to return the requested documentation within the specified timeframes. Of these, 361 applications are student grant applications from County Tipperary.

The Deputy will appreciate that in order to prepare the system for 2013/14 applications it was necessary to engage in a close out strategy for the 2012/13 academic year. As part of the strategy SUSI contacted all applicants who had not completed their application by submitting the required documentation and provided these students with a final opportunity to submit the documentation so that applications for 2012/13 could be closed out. Support for students to complete their application was also put in place.

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 Student Grant Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.