Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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197. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that SUSI is seeking repayment of alleged overpayments from students dating back to 2012-2013; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that these students are not being offered clarity or detail of the review of their grant applications; if such alleged overpayments have been written off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21597/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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SUSI operates a comprehensive set of processes and controls to manage the assessment process and to minimise the risk of incorrectly awarding grants. However, the nature of the assessment process undertaken by SUSI means that there is a risk that some students may be awarded maintenance grants and/or fee grants for which they are not eligible.

Where overpayments do occur, SUSI treats the overpayment as a debt to the exchequer and seeks to ensure that all such payments are recovered from the student. This approach is consistent with the general policy and principle regarding the recovery of debt, as set out in the Student Support Act 2011.

When an overpayment is identified, SUSI will write to the student to inform him/her of the decision to vary the grant amount and to advise that recovery (repayment) of the overpayment will be necessary. A further letter will then issue to formally advise of the overpayment amount and to request repayment. This letter includes a Grant Repayment Option Form which requests details of the preferred repayment option.

If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Applicants may also appeal against decisions made by SUSI in relation to overpayments.

Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal may be submitted by the applicant via outlining the position to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe.