Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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413. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will revise the regulations surrounding the student universal support grant in order that if a family's only income is from Department of Social Protection payments this will not place a student over the threshold for the special rate for disadvantaged students (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26582/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Student Grant Scheme for the academic year 2017/18, was published on the 31^stof March 2017. The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant is as follows:

1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant;

2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are excluded, must not exceed €23,000; and

3. As at 31st December 2016, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible long-term social welfare payments prescribed in the Student Grant Scheme.

Jobseekers Allowance (where held for 391 days or more), is one of the qualifying long-term social welfare payments for the special rate of grant. If an applicant is in receipt of this payment and meets the other criteria for the special rate of grant then, she may qualify for the special rate of grant.

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

It is not proposed to depart from the existing arrangements for the determination of the eligibility for the special rate of maintenance grant.