Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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949. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on whether it is acceptable or fair for adults in their early 30s who have returned to college to obtain further skills and knowledge to re-enter the workforce to be assessed for student maintenance grants as dependants if they happen to be living at their parents' address, even though they receive no financial support from their parents; and her further views on the case of a person (details supplied) who has been refused student support on these grounds. [21543/15]

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.

An independent student must be a mature student, aged 23 or over on entry to college (or re-entry after a break in studies of at least 3 years) who has not lived with his or her parents for a period before entering college. Independent students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to their parents' incomes. The assessment as an independent mature student has to be carefully considered to ensure it is highly targeted at very specific circumstances where students can demonstrate that they have been genuinely self-supporting and living independently for a period of time before commencing their studies. Otherwise, he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income.

I have no plans at present to change the arrangements in place.

I understand that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy an appeal was considered by the independent Student Grants Appeals Board (Appeals Board) on 14th January 2014 and their decision issued directly to the appellant. The student was advised of his options in the decision letter. The options are that he may appeal to the High Court on a point of law under Section 21(6) of the Student Support Act 2011 and under the Ombudsman Acts 1980 to 2012. The Ombudsman can examine a complaint from the student if he feels he has been unfairly treated in his dealings with SUSI or the Appeals Board.