Written answers

Thursday, 17 February 2022

Department of Education and Skills

Grant Payments

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

244. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that all income thresholds for all SUSI grant rates will increase by €1,000 except the special rate (details supplied). [8967/22]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI, provides grant assistance 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 for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI to determine.

In assessing an application for the 2022/23 academic year, SUSI will have regard to the following qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant:

1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant;

2. Total gross reckonable income for the 2021 tax year, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are excluded, must not exceed €24,500;

3. As at 31st December 2021, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible long-term social welfare payments prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Student Grant Scheme 2022.

The report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education made detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students.  The target group of "those most in need" was defined in terms of the dependants of people receiving long-term welfare payments, where the necessary conditions are fulfilled. 

Accordingly, to effectively target this cohort, the income limit for the special rate of grant is aligned to the maximum point of the weekly State Contributory Pension plus the maximum Qualified Adult Allowance for a person over 66 years. The student grant means test for 2022 is based on gross reckonable income for the 2021 tax year. As the Department of Social Protection state pension payment was not increased in Budget 2021, the special rate income threshold remains at €24,500 for the 2022 Scheme. The income threshold for the special rate of grant is strategically aligned with the highest Department of Social Protection rate as described in order to target students from households in receipt of long term social welfare assistance effectively.

However, the special rate of grant payment itself was increased by €200 as part of Budget 2022, along with all other student grant rates. For the 2022/23 academic year, the special rate of grant is payable at the non-adjacent rate of €6,115 or the adjacent rate of €2,575, depending on the distance from ordinary residence to the college attended.

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

In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student's local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.