Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review the financial thresholds enforced by legislation governing Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) scheme; if he will discuss the amendment of same, with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, in advance of Budget 2017; to consider net income as opposed to gross income under household reckonable income eligibility criteria in advance of Budget 2017; to exclude total earnings of any applicant classed as dependent from household reckonable income under current eligibility criteria in advance of Budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28830/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions in different households.

The Student Grant Scheme provides for higher income thresholds for larger families. In addition to this, further increases in the income thresholds are provided for where additional family members are attending further and higher education at the same time.

The scheme currently allows students to disregard some holiday earnings from the assessment of reckonable income. In the 2016 scheme, I increased this amount from €3,809 to €4,500.

The Deputy will appreciate that there are a large number of competing demands for available funding. Decisions with regard to Budget 2017 will be announced on Budget day.