Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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530. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Student Universal Support Ireland can assess a person (details supplied) as an independent student, in view of their circumstances; her plans to introduce discretionary measures in order to avoid situations like this in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5895/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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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 or 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 October. Otherwise he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income.

Only in exceptional cases, where compelling evidence of estrangement from parents/guardians is provided, can candidates who are under 23 be assessed without reference to their parents/guardians income or address, Article 21(3) (b) of the Scheme refers.

The assessment of a case of estrangement is carefully considered to ensure there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the exceptional circumstances pertaining in such cases genuinely exists. The type of evidence required is dependent on the applicant's individual circumstances.