Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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333. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will intervene to increase grant support for students unable to secure accommodation and forced to commute. [48755/21]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI, provides grant assistance to students pursuing an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

The aim of the student grant scheme is to make a contribution to the cost of going to college. The scheme includes a "non-adjacent" rate of grant which is a higher rate of grant which takes into consideration the additional costs which may be associated with living further away from college, such as accommodation costs.

Student maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or non-adjacent rate, depending on distance to the college 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 higher non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable in all other cases. In this way the scheme is responsive to eligible students who reside further away from college by providing an increased rate of student maintenance grant.

The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains a commitment to review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. To take forward this commitment I established a review of the Student Grant Scheme. This review is currently underway, and being conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants, under the direction of a steering group chaired by my Department and comprising a number of stakeholders.

It is anticipated that the review will be completed later this year and will inform future priorities regarding the development of student grant policy, including in the context of forthcoming Estimates process for 2022.

Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.