Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of reversing the budget 2011 decision to increase the SUSI grant non-adjacency qualifying distance from 24 km to 45 km; if reversing same has been considered in advance of budget 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40923/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The cost of reversing the change to the distance criteria in the Student Grant, is estimated to be in the region of €26m.

The above costing assumes that a change to the distance criterion would result in a similar percentage of students qualifying for the higher non-adjacent grant support, as existed pre Budget 2011.

The Deputy will appreciate that there are a large number of competing demands for available funding. Decisions with regard to Budget 2019 will be announced on Budget day.

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which the distances for adjacent and non-adjacent third-level grants were arrived at; his plans to reform the calculation of distances to one of a mean average for the journey; his further plans to address the issue of the calculation via the shortest distance using rural roads in poor repair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40924/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The student maintenance grant is a contribution towards the living costs of a student. It is not intended to cover the full costs of attending college. The student grant scheme does however, provide for different levels of maintenance support, depending on means. Grants are also provided at adjacent and non-adjacent rates. The higher non-adjacent rates are intended to provide additional support to those students who may be living away from home.

Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures which came into effect for the 2011/12 academic year, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres.

The 24km distance criterion was originally set in 1968 and had not been updated in more than 40 years. Since then, significant improvements have taken place in the road and rail network and it is considered that the revised distance criteria is more consistent with the type of distances that students may legitimately be expected to commute to college.

The current qualifying distance of 45km for the higher non-adjacent rate of student grant takes into account a reasonable radius within which students may commute on a daily basis. Any decision to review the distance criteria would have to be considered in the context of the overall priorities and financial resources available for higher and further education.