Written answers

Tuesday, 2 November 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Grant Payments

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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678. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the allocation to the Student Assistance Fund for the years 2016 to date by year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52412/21]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The allocation to the Student Assistance Fund for the years 2016 to 2021 is shown in the attached table.

The baseline funding allocation for the Student Assistance Fund is €8.1m. An additional €1 million of ring-fenced core funding was allocated in 2017 for the support of part-time students who are lone parents or members of the other access target groups identified in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education.

An additional €1 million was added in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as an exceptional basis to support Teacher Supply for Professional Masters in Education Courses (PME) students pending changes to the postgraduate supports under the Student Grant Scheme in 2021/22 academic year.

As part of the package of COVID19 supports for 2020 and 2021 the level of baseline core funding was doubled by providing an additional €8.1m in each of those two years.

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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679. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports available for students facing financial hardship provided by his Department directly or through grants to third parties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52413/21]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The principal support provided by my Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending 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 decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. The aim of the student grant scheme is to make a contribution to the cost of going to college. It assists over 70,000 students annually to access third level education.

A review of the Student Grant Scheme is at an advanced stage, and is in the process of finalisation by the consultations and the steering group. There was significant public interest in the Review, with around 280 submissions and over 9,000 survey responses from students. The final Report will be presented to me later this year and I intend bringing it to Government for approval. It is the intention that this review will inform policy priorities and future considerations regarding the development of student grant policy.

As part of Budget 2022, I have secured an additional €15m to enhance the existing financial supports under the Student Grant Scheme.

For the academic year 2022/23 this will mean:-

- An increase to all student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant, of €200 per year which will benefit all students entitled to receive a maintenance Grant. There are currently circa 62,000 SUSI grant recipients receiving maintenance support.

- The income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant has been increased by €1,000.

- The qualifying distance criterion for students to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant has been reduced from 45km to 30km, effective from the start of the 2022/23 academic year.

I have prioritised these changes for the 2022/23 academic year and they will benefit thousands of students building on the improvements that have already been made for postgraduate students through this year’s student grant scheme. These improvements to the student grant scheme have been a priority for me since taking up my Ministerial appointment.

Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in higher education 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. The core allocation for the SAF is €9.1 million per annum currently 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 again this year, €10 million was allocated to an Access Funding package of which €8.1 million was allocated to the Student Assistance Fund. €1.9m has been allocated to COVID19 Contingency Fund for Access Services. The total funding available in 2021 under the Student Assistance Fund is €17.2m.

The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) supports participation by students with a disability in further and higher education. The FSD is one of the main funding sources supporting participation by students with disabilities in approved further and higher education courses in Ireland. It also supports students from Ireland to study on approved courses in Northern Ireland, the UK and other EU countries. The actual level of support to be provided to individual students is decided by each HEI who carry out a needs assessment to determine the types of supports and accommodations needed. The 2020 allocation to the fund is €9.6m which is expected to support circa 14,000 students.

The FSD aims to support the personal, educational and professional development of the participating student and contribute to the achievement of their full potential. Eligible students can receive assistance from the FSD from further education level 5 up to doctoral level 10, and it can be applied for during any year of study. The FSD operates as a funding allocation to approved higher education institutions and PLC colleges. The actual level of support to be provided to individual students is decided by each institute who carry out a needs assessment to determine the types of supports and accommodations needed. Funding can be used to provide supports and accommodations for assistive technology, equipment and software, non-medical helpers, academic or learning support, deaf supports and transport.

A significant development with this Fund has been the inclusion of students on part-time courses in 2018 and this continued into 2019 and 2020 also.

The transfer of the FE allocation of the Fund for Students with Disabilities from the Higher Education Authority to SOLAS was completed in July 2020. With effect from the 2020/21 academic year, SOLAS has assumed responsibility for the management of the FSD for the further education and training sector, including issuing of the guidelines.

There are three strands to the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) with an overall funding envelope of €42m.

- Strand 1 supports access to initial teacher education from the target groups identified in the National Access Plan.

- Strand 2 provides bursaries to students who have been identified by their higher education institution as being the most socio-economically disadvantaged students in the target groups under the National Access Plan.

- Strand 3 supports regional clusters of higher education institutions with the aim of attracting additional students from groups currently under-represented in higher education.

As part of the implementation of PATH 2 for the 2021/22 academic year, three tiers of bursaries will be available for awarding to the most socio economically disadvantaged students from National Access Plan Target groups across six clusters. Tier 1 is €5,000 per annum for the duration of studies awarded to a total of 203 students across the six clusters ; Tier 2 - €2,000 per annum for the duration of studies to a total of 120 students across the six clusters who met the criteria for the 1916 Bursary but who did not ultimately qualify for a Tier 1 bursary; Tier 3 – Once-off bursary of €1,500 payable for the 2021/22 academic year only to students who met the criteria for the 1916 Bursary but who did not ultimately qualify for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 bursary. The provision of this once-off bursary is in recognition of the exceptional circumstances that incoming students will experience when starting college in 2021/22 and the impact of Covid-19 on family incomes of students from target groups.

An additional €5m funding to support new pilot initiatives under the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Fund to address priority actions that will be identified in the new Strategic Action Plan for Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education 2022-2026 currently under development. Colleagues in my Department are working closely with the HEA on the development of the new Plan with the intention of publishing the plan in the coming months.

Funding is provided to seven disadvantaged initiatives to support access to higher education. Six of these initiatives are community based projects located in areas of disadvantage and one is in respect of an access initiative in Trinity College. All of the projects target children and young people who are generally at risk of under achieving and not reaching their full academic potential. They also seek to direct further targeted activities at children and young people who demonstrate high academic potential but may be at risk of not progressing to further or higher education for a variety of reasons.

Ring-fenced funding through the Dormant Accounts Fund of €300,000 is available for targeted supports to address the implications of COVID-19 for Traveller transfer to and progression within higher education. The funding will help ensure expected increases in Traveller participation in higher education remain on track.

FET provision is largely free or heavily subsidised. The only fees are PLC fees which are a nominal €200 per student (not including those entitled to a medical card or SUSI grant). About 40% of students pay the fee. Fees are collected at the start of the academic year. However, as provided for in Budget 2022, the €200 fee will no longer apply from the start of the 22/23 academic year.

Apprentices are paid an allowance equivalent to their on-the-job wages for periods spent in education and training institutions. In addition, unemployed participants on relevant training courses are paid a training allowance by ETBs based on their DSP payment. In the case of training for unemployed people, these allowances are integral parts of the programmes, as (i) they facilitate the participation of individuals who would not otherwise be in a position to take up training and (ii) they ensure that only individuals who are active participants in the training are in receipt of the allowances. Your local Intreo Office can advise if you are entitled to any allowances whilst on a training course.

In addition, accommodation, meal and travel allowances are paid to learners to assist them with the cost of actual attendance on some courses.

A Mitigating Against Educational Disadvantage Fund (MAEDF) worth €8 million was allocated in Budget 2021 to the FET sector for 2020. The MAEDF was managed by SOLAS in 2020 and provided funds to support educationally disadvantaged learners in accessing and participating in FET. It also enabled investment in building the digital infrastructure of FET providers and their capability to ensure that online learning can be delivered in a way that meets the complex needs of all FET learners, and that these learners have the skills that will allow them to effectively participate.

In light of the great successes of the MAEDF, and in recognition of the continuing challenges in relation to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions a further €10 million is being allocated to the MAEDF for this year. SOLAS issued two calls for proposals, the closing date for Round 1 applications was 24 September 2021, and closing date for Round 2 applications was 31 October 2021.

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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680. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 671 of 19 October 2021, if a student in receipt of a 50% maintenance grant will receive a €200 increase in their payment per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52483/21]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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. It assists over 70,000 students annually to access third level education.

In the context of Budget 2022 as the Deputy is aware, I commenced the process of making prioritised improvements to the student grant scheme for the academic year 2022-2023. This will allow early progress in addressing key themes emerging from the Student Grant Scheme Review's consultations and research and recent trends in the cost of living.

For the 2022/23 academic year, all maintenance grant payments, including the special rate of grant, will be increased by €200 per year at a cost of €13m. This will benefit circa 62,000 SUSI grant recipients currently receiving maintenance grant support.

For clarity, all SUSI grant recipients, including those eligible for partial maintenance grant awards of 25%, 50% or 75%, will benefit from the full increase of €200 per academic year, effective from September 2022.

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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681. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the anticipated increase in the number of students that will be able to assess SUSI support as a result of an increase by €1,000 in the income thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52484/21]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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. It assists over 70,000 students annually to access third level education.

In the context of Budget 2022 as the Deputy is aware, I commenced the process of making prioritised improvements to the student grant scheme for the academic year 2022-2023. This would allow early progress in addressing key themes emerging from the Student Grant Scheme Review's consultations and research and recent trends in the cost of living.

The Scheme is a demand led scheme and it is not possible to give accurate statistics of how many new students may be eligible by increasing the maximum threshold. However, it is estimated that circa 6,800 existing grant recipients will benefit and circa 5,500 of the 2020/21 applicants would qualify by increasing the threshold of the maximum income level by €1,000.

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