Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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85. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if SUSI will issue an amnesty on all repayments due to grant overpayments arising from the 2020-2021 academic year considering the extreme effects on Covid-19 on student employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42788/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Section 24 (1) of the Student Support Act 2011 states: “where a person, whether or not he or she is a student, has received moneys from an awarding authority that are in respect of a grant that the person is not entitled to receive, the person is liable to repay to the awarding authority on demand a sum not exceeding the amount of money received.”

SUSI has no discretion to vary or modify the criteria laid down within this legislation.

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 policies and principles 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. SUSI has a formal overpayments policy and implements repayment approaches that are sensitive to students’ means and circumstances.