Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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576. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on if it is acceptable that a student (details supplied) is awarded a grant from Student Universal Support Ireland in October and is then told in December that it was awarded in error and to repay €1,314.44; the way such an error could have occurred; her plans to deal with such incompetency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48229/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.

This service compliments the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.

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 the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.

An appeal has not been submitted by the student to the Student Grant Appeals Board.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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577. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way Student Universal Support Ireland can grant a person (details supplied) non-adjacent rate on appeal in 2013, then in 2014 award non-adjacent again for the same person and their sibling but award their other sibling adjacent, then after querying it decide to take the non-adjacent rate and award all three adjacent; her views that it is acceptable that an awarded appeal can be disregarded like that by SUSI; her views that it is difficult for any family to put three children through college at the same time; if discretion will be applied in view of the circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48232/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.

This service compliments the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.

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 the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.

An appeal has not been submitted by the student to the Student Grant Appeals Board.