Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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205. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the process by which the workers of a company (details supplied) can request access to the retraining fund. [28468/21]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost associated with widening access to student assistance fund support for migrant, asylum seeker and undocumented students. [28557/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. Students can be assisted towards costs such as rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. Students on full or part-time courses leading to a higher education award (NQF level 6-10) in the universities, institutes of technology and other approved colleges can apply for the SAF. The core allocation for the SAF is €9.1 million per annum which supports circa 14,000 students. This includes €1 million which was added to the fund in 2017 for part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups. Prior to that the fund supported full-time students only. As part of the package of COVID supports provided by Government last year, €10 million was allocated to an Access Funding package of which €8.1 million was allocated to the Student Assistance Fund. This brought the 2020 SAF allocation to €18.2 million. It is difficult to estimate the cost associated with widening access to student assistance fund support for migrant, asylum seekers and undocumented students as data on the numbers involved is not collected by the HEA. If however an additional 1000 students were to receive the SAF at an average cost of €657 per student the additional estimated cost would be €657,000 per annum.

My Department operates a student support scheme for persons in the protection process or at the leave to remain stage. The scheme provides supports to qualifying students which are similar to those available in the statutory based Student Grant Scheme administered by SUSI.

The scheme was introduced in 2015 and 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

In August 2020, I announced a change to the scheme in which the rules of the scheme were relaxed and the scheme placed on a long term footing. The requirement for prospective applications to have attended three academic years in the Irish school system and to have obtained the Leaving Certificate in the State, is no longer required. Prospective applicants still have to meet the requirement to have been in the protection or leave to remain process for three years.

To qualify for the Student Support Scheme for Asylum Seekers, prospective students have to meet a number of criteria, including a requirement to:

- Meet the definition of a protection applicant or a person at leave to remain stage (other than those at the deportation order stage);

- Have been accepted on an approved Post Leaving Certificate course or an approved undergraduate course; and

- Have been part of an application for protection or leave to remain for a combined period of 3 years prior to the 31st of August of the first year of their course.

- Have been resident in the State for a combined period of 3 years as at 31st August of their course.

From the start of the 2021/22 academic year, international protection applicants who have permission to work and are seeking to access Post Leaving, will no longer have to pay international fees of €3,600.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of widening access to student assistance fund supports for non-EU international students. [28563/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. Students can be assisted towards costs such as rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. Students on full or part-time courses leading to a higher education award (NQF level 6-10) in the universities, institutes of technology and other approved colleges can apply for the SAF. The core allocation for the SAF is €9.1 million per annum which supports circa 14,000 students. This includes €1 million which was added to the fund in 2017 for part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups. As part of the package of COVID supports provided by Government last year, €10 million was allocated to an Access Funding package of which €8.1 million was allocated to the Student Assistance Fund. This brought the 2020 SAF allocation to €18.2 million.

In all cases, HEIs are responsible for targeting the available resources at those students most in need. International/non-EU fee paying students are not eligible for funding. HEIs are however advised to ring-fence a small fund from non-EU fee income to provide for any emergency financial requirements arising for these students.

Students who are non-EU nationals, but who are eligible for free or reduced fees in line with the criteria for the free fees initiative may be considered for the SAF subject to meeting the criteria outlined above.

As a measure of the type of costs involved If an additional 1000 students were to receive the SAF at an average cost of €657 per student the estimated additional cost would be €657,000 per annum.