Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure all forms of social protection payment, including supplementary welfare allowance, are recognised as evidence of income in part or entirely in the determination of applications for higher education grants, thereby ensuring natural justice for applicants for higher education grants who may have no other evidence of income or who may only have partial evidence of income in view of the fact that eligibility for the payment is the subject of a means test; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4003/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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It is necessary that information regarding all income is accounted for when completing the grant application form. In this regard the assessment of means under my Department 's student grant scheme is based on the applicant's gross income from all sources and his/her parent(s)/legal guardian where applicable; with certain social welfare and health service executive payments being exempt.

Persons in receipt of the supplementary welfare allowance may apply for a student grant. Assuming that students satisfy all of the relevant terms and conditions of the student grant scheme, eligible students on this payment qualify for the maintenance grant and student contribution or fees where applicable.

For 2014 SUSI improved its data sharing arrangements with existing and additional Government agencies. The arrangement with the Department of Social Protection allows direct access by SUSI to information on social welfare payments in respect of the applicant and other relevant parties. This arrangement reduces the volume of documentation required from grant applicants.

The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications for the 2014/15 academic year is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).