Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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833. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SUSI grant recipients including a parent in receipt of a widows or widowers pension. [42038/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The main support to students attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Student Grant Scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding, provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment (progression) and means.

The number of SUSI grant recipients whereby the applicant (or a party to the applicant) was in receipt of a widows or widowers pension is as follows for the 2020/21 academic year.

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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834. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration will be given to omitting income from widow and widowers pensions from the reckonable income for SUSI grants. [42040/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI, provides grant assistance to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

Widows’/Widower’s pension is included as reckonable income for the purposes of the student grant means test. Widow's/Widower's pension is also a qualifying payment for the special rate of grant where the reckonable income is less than €24,500. Where the pension includes a CDA (child dependent allowance) the CDA element may be deducted from the payment for the purposes of qualifying for the special rate of grant and determining total reckonable income.

As the Deputy is aware, the scheme is under review and all proposals made in relation to education expenditure, including student grants for the 2022/23 academic year, will be considered in the context of Budget 2022.