Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider amending the application process for student maintenance grants to make it more flexible for a third level student under the age of 23 years who wishes to apply in their own right for a grant because they are not financially dependent on their parents. [31149/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1 October. Otherwise he/she would continue to be assessed on the basis of his/her parents' income.

In recognition of the fact that a student under 23 yeas of age can be estranged from his/her parents, it is possible under the student grant scheme, as an exceptional measure, for such a candidate to be assessed without reference to his/her parents/guardians income or address.

However, compelling independent evidence of estrangement must be provided to the grant awarding authority to enable this. The type of independent evidence includes a letter from a social worker or other appropriate officer of the Health Service Executive explaining the circumstances of the estrangement. Confirmation that a candidate is living separately from his/her parents/guardians is not sufficient.

I have no plans at present to change the eligibility arrangements in respect of students under the age of 23 who apply for a student grant.