Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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580. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the changes that have taken place to the eligibility criteria for the higher education grant from the 2013-2014 academic year and the 2014-2015 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48327/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The changes to the eligibility criteria for the student grant scheme for the academic years 2013/14 and 2014/15 are outlined below.

2013 Student Grant Scheme for the 2013/14 academic year

The changes to the eligibility criteria are summarised as follows:

- Budget 2013 provided for a 3% reduction in the income thresholds used when calculating entitlement to student grants in the 2013 grant scheme. The measure applied to both new and renewal students. The reduction in thresholds did not apply to the special rate of grant or the threshold for the €2,000 contribution at postgraduate which remained at €31,500 for the 2013/14 academic year. The reduced thresholds will be reflected in Schedule 1 of the 2013 Scheme;

- The eligibility criteria for the special rate of grant was amended to introduce a provision to combine periods of Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit with the period of Maternity Benefit provided a period of Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit comes directly before and directly after the period of Maternity Benefit;

2014 Student Grant Scheme for the 2014/15 academic year

The changes to the eligibility criteria of the Student Grant Scheme are summarised as follows:

- Aftercare was included as an eligible payment for the special rate of grant and as an income disregard for the purposes of calculating reckonable income;

- Payments made to individuals by Caranua for support services are included as an income disregard for the purposes of calculating reckonable income;

- Eligibility for continuing postgraduate students to continue to receive the full fee award for the second or subsequent years of their course where it is established that all other special rate conditions are satisfied on renewal was introduced;

- For the special rate of grant, introduced the combining of periods of eligible payments with the period on JobBridge provided a period on an eligible payment comes directly before and directly after the period of JobBridge;

2014 Student Support Regulations for the 2014/15 academic yearThe changes to the eligibility criteria of the Student Support Regulations are summarised as follows:

- Provision made in the Student Support Regulation 2014 to prescribe for persons awarded subsidiary protection under European Union (Subsidiary Protection) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 426 of 2013).