Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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230. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who have been below the threshold for the special rate of maintenance grant in each of the years 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and to date in 2017 but have not been awarded the special rate of grant due to not holding a qualifying social welfare payment or not being on said payment for the required timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39253/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The following table provides a breakdown for each of the academic years 2012/13 to 2017/18 (to date) in the category requested by the Deputy. The data provided in the following table is in respect of students who applied to SUSI.

The 2017/18 Student Grant Scheme was published on the 31stof 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 31 December 2016, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible long-term social welfare payments prescribed in the Student Grant Scheme.

The eligibility of a person to whom this Scheme applies for the award of a grant, or the level of the grant awarded, may be assessed or re-assessed by the awarding authority in the event of changes of circumstances between 1 January following the reference period and the end of the academic year, including certain eligible payments for the special rate of maintenance grant.

Under Threshold - Not in receipt of Special Rate

* 2017/18 figures are to date. Also important to note the threshold changed from 22,703 to 23,000 this year.