Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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1347. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who were supported by the student support scheme for asylum seekers in 2019-2020 academic year. [20673/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The student support scheme for asylum seekers is for students who are in the protection system or at the leave to remain (but not deportation order) stage and who are pursuing an approved Post Leaving Certificate course or an approved undergraduate course. It provides supports along similar lines to the current Student Grant Scheme (the SUSI scheme) to eligible applicants who are in the protection system and who are either:

- asylum applicants

- subsidiary protection applicants

- leave to remain applicants

The number of those supported for the scheme in the academic year 2019/20 was five out of a total of 17 applications.

There were a total of 109 applications to the student support scheme in 2020/21 and 40 students were awarded support.