Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of persons who applied for a SUSI grant in each of the past ten years by county in tabular form. [6314/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The principal support provided by my Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme, which provides grant assistance to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the single grant awarding authority for student grants and began processing grants for new first year applicants for the 2012/2013 Academic Year while renewal applications remained the responsibility of the local awarding authorities until these students completed their studies. The first year that SUSI processed all applications was for the 2015/2016 Academic year.

This is a demand led scheme. As the Deputy will see from the table the number of grant applications fluctuate from year to year, for example in 2020/21 applications increased by circa 5,000. This is likely to be explained due to the financial impact of COVID.

The changes I announced in Budget 2022, to increase certain income threshold eligibility criteria for those applying for a SUSI grant is expected to result in an increased number of grant applications from the 2022/23 academic year onwards.

The information in the table I am providing relates to students who have applied for a grant from SUSI , in each of the past ten years, broken down by County, is as follows.

Applications to SUSI by Home Address County for years since 2012, data as 28/01/2022

*These years do NOT include all students as SUSI only began to receive new applications during this period.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way that a SUSI applicant who that was abandoned by one parent after a history of domestic violence can be expected to provide documents from the absent parent in order to be eligible for the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6358/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The decision on eligibility for student grant assistance is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.

SUSI is mindful of the difficult circumstances affecting individuals applying for a student grant and implements arrangements to sensitively accommodate circumstances including but not confined to family estrangement, differing marital circumstances of dependent applicants’ parents and exceptional circumstances impacting on a student’s attendance on their course.

As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by SUSI, to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.

The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application it is not possible to comment any further, however SUSI is happy to investigate this application and share a response with the Deputy. Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. Staff in SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.

If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe. Such appeals can be made by the appellant on line via www.studentgrantappeals.ie

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. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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125. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that are available for mature students that wish to study part-time on a course that is not covered by Springboard+; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6451/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course at an approved institution. Part-time courses are not eligible for support under the scheme.

However, part-time students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The 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 which 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 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.

In addition to these increases I recently announced an additional once off allocation of funding of €1.3 million for the Student Assistance Fund to deal with the impact of Covid 19. I have listened to the voice of students, who have clearly articulated that COVID and the increased cost of living is having a major impact on the financial situation of students and their families.

This additional funding means that a total of €18.5m has been made available to students who find themselves in financial need during the 2021/2022 academic year.

Eligible students may also qualify for assistance under the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD). The FSD is the principal funding source for students with disabilities in further and higher education. The purpose of the Fund is to provide funding to further and higher education institutions to assist them in offering supports and services to eligible students with disabilities, on full or part-time courses, so that they can participate on an equal basis with their peers. 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.

Further information in relation to both the SAF and FSD is available from the Access Office in the higher education institution attended.

Also, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be available in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education, including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU Member States and in non-EU countries. Further information on this tax relief is available from the student’s local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie.

In the context of a person re-educating, Springboard+ is a specific initiative that strategically targets funding of free part-time higher education courses to enable unemployed people, returners (formerly referred to as homemakers) and those in employment to upskill or reskill in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities. The courses, which are at Level 6 (Higher Certificate) to Level 9 (Master's Degree) on the National Framework of Qualifications, are being delivered in public and private higher education providers around the country. Further information may be obtained from the website springboardcourses.ie/

A very important commitment in the Programme for Government was the review of the Student Grant Scheme, this review will help shape decision-making on how we support students over the years to come. Following a procurement process, the review has been undertaken by Indecon Economic Consultants, under the guidance of a steering group which has included student and sectoral representatives.

There was significant public interest in the Review, with around 280 submissions. A very welcome feature of the process was engagement with students, and I understand that over 9,000 survey responses were received from students across the country. This strong element of public engagement, in addition to the economic work undertaken by the consultants, should provide a solid evidence basis for the recommendations of the review.

Given the inter-connectivity between strategic student support issues and other reform priorities (e.g. the expansion of supports to part-time and blended learners as an enabler of lifelong learning or enhanced postgraduate supports as an enabler to equality, diversity and inclusion in the R&I system) it is now my intention to bring the report to Cabinet shortly alongside the Future Funding Model report.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Last Friday (4th Feb), I launched the stakeholder consultation on the next iteration of the International Education, Research and Innovation Strategy. All documentation is available on my Department's website.

The legislative provisions necessary to facilitate the introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM) are contained in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2019. While this legislation is now in place, a considerable amount of preparatory work is required to facilitate the full implementation of the IEM.

My Department is working closely with QQI to develop and implement the key precursor measures that are necessary to facilitate the introduction of the IEM including the development of specific Ministerial Regulations for corporate fitness assessments and the establishment of a new national scheme for the Protection of Enrolled Learners. It is expected that these measures will be commenced on a phased basis over the course of this year.

Preparatory work is also underway to develop the Codes of Practice which will underpin the IEM. These will be informed by learnings from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the international education sector.