Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to review the Student Universal Support Ireland grant scheme for those persons over 23 years of age, who are living in their parents' home on 1 January of a particular year due to the current housing shortage and the high cost of rent, but who are not dependent on their parents' income, other than paying reduced rent to them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29382/15]

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.