Written answers

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

Department of Education and Skills

Student Grants Data

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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495. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the Exchequer estimates for the amount to link the student maintenance support grants with the Consumer Price Index for the next five years, based on historical trajectories of the Consumer Price Index over the past ten years; how she will provide Exchequer estimates for the amount the student maintenance support grants would increase by if linked to the Customer Price Index sub-index classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose Division 04, Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels, for the next five years. [41556/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department has been in contact with the Central Statistics Office who has advised that all data regarding the Consumer Price Index is collated on a historical basis and is not used by them for future projections.

However for the Deputy's convenience my Department has looked at the figures available from the CSO and according to the Consumer Price Index the annual average % change for the 10 year period 2005 to 2014 shows an average percentage change of +1.5%.

In relation to the COICOP Division 04 for the period 2013 to 2014 which uses the 2011 Baseline, there is a percentage change of +0.7% & 0% respectively. For the period 2010 to 2011, the COICOP Division 04 uses the 2006 Baseline, there is a percentage change of +1.27% and 9.6% respectively. For the period 2012, the COICOP Division 04 uses the combined 2006 & 2011 Baseline, there is a percentage change of -6.3%. Combined average for the five year period of +1.05%.

Therefore to increase the maintenance support grant and special rate maintenance grant to students for the 2015/16 academic year based on the averages outlined above, the estimated cost to the exchequer would be an additional €2.5m (CPI) or €1.7m (COICOP Division 04).

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