Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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352. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of occasions on which SUSI has sought to recover overpayments which were made despite no fault on the part of the claimant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46202/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Student grant overpayments can occur for a range of reasons, not all of which are clearly attributable in terms of fault or error on the part of SUSI, students or colleges.

In the context of a total of more than half a million grant applications processed and approximately 420,000 grants awarded by SUSI since 2012, the incidence of overpayments is low and represents less than 1% of all grant awards.

It is important to note also that while some overpayments can involve the full amount of a grant award, most involve a partial amount only – typically representing either a number of monthly maintenance grant payments or the difference in value between one grant rate and another grant rate. 

The significant majority of overpayments arise in circumstances where information concerning students who withdraw, defer, cease to attend or are repeating a year on their courses is not provided to SUSI in a timely manner so as to enable the termination of grant payments.

Students are specifically advised of the importance of this step when they are awarded their grants and SUSI also provides relevant advice through its support desk and other information channels for students. Arrangements are also in place between colleges and SUSI for the regular exchange of records of withdrawals and deferrals.

In addition, the complex nature of the assessment process for determining grant eligibility means that there is also a risk that some students may be awarded grants for which they are not eligible. These cases are in the minority.

In general, SUSI implements controls specifically targeted at minimising the incidence of grant overpayments, however arising. These controls include staff training and supervision, system and procedural controls, assessment process quality assurance, internal and external post-assessment audits and advanced data sharing/matching arrangements with a range of public bodies and academic institutions.

SUSI provides my Department with monthly status reports on grant overpayments and on the progress made in seeking their recovery. Consistent with the general policy and principle regarding the recovery of debt, as set out in the Student Support Act 2011, SUSI treats overpayments as debts to the exchequer and seeks to ensure that they are recovered from the student. SUSI has a formal overpayments policy and implements repayment approaches that are sensitive to students’ means and circumstances.

The details of the categorisation, incidence and reasons for grant overpayments arising from 2012 to date as reported by SUSI to my Department are as follows: