Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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184. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if students that have received or been approved for financial support from the student support scheme for accommodation purposes can use this for expenses related to remote working; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34415/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of the student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold or in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant.

The aim of the student maintenance grant scheme is to make a contribution towards the cost of going to college and to assist students with their living costs while in college. It is at the student’s discretion how the student grant is utilised.

As part of a package of COVID supports for the higher and further education sector approved by Government on 22 July 2020, my Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has allocated €15 million of capital funding for a once-off Covid-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices. This grant is being made available to further and higher education institutions. The institutions are using the grant funding to purchase devices to support disadvantaged students who are encountering challenges in accessing devices for online and blended learning. The distribution of the devices will be via appropriate lending schemes, and the associated terms and conditions, will be a matter for each individual further or higher education provider.

Students should contact the access office of the institution they attend for further information.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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185. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the pandemic unemployment payment is not classed as a qualifying payment for SUSI grant applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34436/20]

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.

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 establishes the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment as a social insurance benefit scheme separate from other social protection statutory schemes including the Supplementary Welfare Allowance and Jobseeker Allowance and Jobseeker Benefit schemes.

For student grant purposes the Covid-19 payment has been treated as reckonable income for the SUSI means assessment process since it was introduced in March. This means that the Covid-19 payment is treated in a similar fashion to other Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection payments such as Jobseekers Benefit/Allowance, thus ensuring a consistency of approach and an equitable treatment of students and their families in the SUSI means assessment process.

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.

Under the change in circumstances provision, the income of all parties to the application can be assessed or reassessed on the current year (2020) and they may also be asked to provide evidence of the current year’s (2020) income. SUSI also requires confirmation that the change is not a temporary change and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Following such a review, the 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. The applicant can request a review by contacting the SUSI Support Desk at 0761 087 874 or emailing support@susi.ie.

Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.