Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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321. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the annual cost of restoring grants for postgraduate education and paying the back-to-education allowance to all postgraduate students who need it. [34550/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware of the Programme for Government commitment to increase financial supports for post graduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households.

In response to this commitment, I secured additional funding of €4million in Budget 2017 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for the most disadvantaged post graduate students.

This will benefit approximately 1,100 of the most disadvantaged post graduate students who meet the eligibility criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant, from September 2017, and it reverses the budgetary cut that was imposed on this cohort of students in 2012.

However, if the maintenance grants and eligibility for full fees were reintroduced for post-graduate students, the total estimated cost would be approximately €42.6m. This excludes the above 2017 budget measure.

This costing assumes that the actual number of post graduate grant holders (2,324 in 2015/16) will increase to the level prior to the introduction of 2012 Budget measure (6,027 students).

Separately, the Deputy will be aware that the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is administered by the Department of Social Protection. Further enquiries in respect of the BTEA should be referred to the Department of Social Protection.