Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing each SUSI grant by 1%, 5% and 10%, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51055/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The cost of the maintenance grants in the academic year 2018/19 was €164m. Therefore, applying a 1%, 5% and 10% increase to the maintenance grants the estimated cost would be €1.6m, €8.2m and €16.4m respectively.

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of reducing the non-adjacent SUSI grant distance from college by 1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 kilometres, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51056/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

SUSI does not collate data in the format request by the Deputy. Therefore, it is not possible to estimate cost the reducing the non-adjacent distance criterion from 1km to 2km, 10km and 15km.

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 cost of reversing the change to the distance criteria for 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.

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

126. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the thresholds for the SUSI grant for PLC students by €1,000, €2,000, €3,000, €4,000, €5,000, €6,000 and €7,000, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51057/19]

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the thresholds for the SUSI grant for undergraduate students by €1,000, €2,000, €3,000, €4,000, €5,000, €6,000 and €7,000, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51058/19]

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

128. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the thresholds for the SUSI grant for postgraduate students by €1,000, €2,000, €3,000, €4,000, €5,000, €6,000 and €7,000, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51059/19]

Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

129. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the thresholds for the SUSI grant for students outside the State by €1,000, €2,000, €3,000, €4,000, €5,000, €6,000 and €7,000, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51060/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 to 129, inclusive, together.

The Deputy will be aware that there are various income thresholds used depending on the type of grant, family size etc. While SUSI has statistics on those students who have applied for grant support and can estimate with some degree of certainty, what impact changes to the thresholds might have for those students on lower income levels, the accuracy of its estimates become less reliable at the higher income levels. Prospective applicants on higher incomes may not have applied for support as their income was above the relevant threshold. As such, it is not possible to accurately cost the number of additional students who may qualify for support, if the thresholds are increased.

Allowing for the limitations regarding the accuracy of the costings, it is estimated that a 5% increase in the income thresholds would cost in the region of €10m and a 10% increase would cost in the region of €20m. The cost of increasing the threshold by 20% is more difficult to estimate given the potentially large number of students who may benefit but who have not previously applied to SUSI for support. It is therefore estimated that a 20% increase could cost in the region of €50m.

The above figures do not include any changes to the income thresholds for the special rate of maintenance grants which are linked to long-term social welfare payments nor do they include any changes to the post-graduate income thresholds.