Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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207. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the impact on families in receipt of pandemic unemployment payment that will not be eligible for the assessment of their lower 2020 incomes as qualifying criteria for SUSI grants; his plans to rectify the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22735/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The principal support provided by the Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.

For the 2020/21 academic year, student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. However, if a student or party to their application experiences a change in circumstances that is not a temporary change and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, they can apply to have their application assessed under the change in circumstances provision of the relevant Student Grant Scheme.

Where an applicant or a party to a student grant application is in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or the Temporary wage Subsidy Scheme, the awarding authority SUSI will assess each case on its own merits and determine whether a change has occurred that satisfies the scheme. Following such a review under the change in circumstances provision, an applicant may fall within the thresholds to become eligible for grant assistance or be entitled to an increased rate of grant or the special rate of grant.

Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, the Deputy will be aware of the recently announced €168m funding package for the return to education. This package includes a €10m access support package for higher education students. I have approved the allocation of €8.1m of this funding to top up the Student Assistance Fund (SAF).

The SAF assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Institutions have the autonomy to maximise the flexibility in the Student Assistance Fund to enable HEIs to support students during the COVID-19 situation. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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208. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a decrease grant in adjacency rates from 45km to 30km. [22894/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The estimated cost of a decrease grant in adjacency rates from 45km to 30km is €13m.