Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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156. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to restore the SUSI adjacent distance payment to 50km; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26781/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The student grant is a contribution towards the cost of attending college. Student maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or non-adjacent rate. The distance to be measured is the shortest non-tolled most direct route from the student’s residence to the institution attended. The adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable in the case of students whose normal residence is 45km or less from the approved institution which he or she is attending. The non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable in all other cases.

The eligibility criteria for student grants are reviewed annually by my Department and approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. All proposals made in relation to higher education expenditure, including student grants, are considered in the context of the annual Budget.

The qualifying distance criterion for entitlement to the higher non-adjacent rate of grant (distance from home to the higher education institution) was changed from 24 kilometres (15 miles) to 45 kilometres (28 miles) for all students from the start of the 2011/2012 academic year. The current qualifying distance of more than 45km for the higher non-adjacent rate of student grant takes into account a reasonable radius within which students may commute on a daily basis.

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. On foot of these commitments I gave approval to commence a review of the Student Grant Scheme. It anticipated that the review will be completed later this year and will inform future considerations regarding the development of student grant policy.