Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

97. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if students who are heading one-parent families are a priority group for supports into further and higher education at all levels of education; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a systemic disadvantage for one-parent family recipients who wish to pursue a PhD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12850/22]

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

Equity of Access to Further and Higher Education continues to be a national priority for the Government and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Inclusion is a key goal in my Department's Statement of Strategy.  The Programme for Government also reflects the importance of supporting learners at risk of educational disadvantage and learners with special education needs in higher education. My Department is committed to the continued roll-out of supports and targeted initiatives in 2022 to tackle educational disadvantage and support equity of access, participation and success in both further and higher education.  

The main support available to assist postgraduate students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. 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.

Under the Student Grant Scheme 2021, a student in receipt of a postgraduate research award where the stipend portion of the award does not exceed €18,500 may apply to the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) for financial assistance.  

Postgraduate students who meet all of the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible for a maintenance grant of up to €5,915 in 2021/22. The income threshold for this grant for the 2021/22 academic year is €24,500 with a qualifying social welfare payment. Qualifying postgraduate students may also be eligible to have their tuition fees paid up to a maximum fee limit of €6,270.  One Parent Family Payment is a qualifying payment for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme. One Parent Family Payments (Means Tested) (where paid to the applicant) is also listed as an income disregard under the Scheme i.e. not counted as reckonable income for the student grant means test.

Alternatively a postgraduate student may qualify to have a €3,500 contribution made towards the cost of his/her fees. The income threshold for this payment is up to €54,240 for the 2021/22 academic year, increasing relative to the number of family dependents.  

Budget 2021 provided for enhanced postgraduate supports for the academic year 2021/22 including the fee grant amount rising from €2,000 to €3,500 and the income threshold for eligibility for these grants to increase from €31,500, now €54,240. This was an initial step in meeting part of the Government’s commitments regarding SUSI grant support.

In addition to this measure in Budget 2022 I secured €15m to enhance student supports which includes the special rate of grant payment being increased by €200 (along with all other maintenance grant rates) for the 2022/23 academic year. The special rate of grant will be 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.  

Students can determine their eligibility at . The student may also wish to discuss his eligibility for SUSI assistance by calling the SUSI Support Desk on 0818 888 777.

The vision of the Third National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2021 is that the student body entering, participating in, and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland’s population. The plan set out five goals and more than thirty actions, developed following widespread consultation with stakeholders, with the aim of supporting increased access and participation in higher education by six main target groups.  Those groups include entrants from socio-economic groups that have low participation in higher education; first-time mature students, students with disabilities, part-time/flexible learners, further education and training award holders; and Irish Travellers. The plan also indicated subgroups that require support, including lone parents, teen parents and ethnic minorities. Improving equity of access to higher education is an ongoing objective.

Lone parents are a sub-group of the target groups within National Access Plan (NAP), 2015-2021. Since 2017, following an independent review of the barriers facing lone parents in accessing higher education and other reviews of the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) and Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD), the Government has invested €3 million from 2017 to 2019 which enabled the extension of the SAF to part-time students who are lone parents or other members of National Access Plan target groups.

It is a condition that at least 20% of the PATH 2 1916 Bursaries should be allocated to Lone Parents.  I can say that over the four years this fund is in existence this target has been achieved, and actually exceeded.In 2020/2021 25% of bursaries went to Lone Parents.

In 2018/19 830 students who are lone parents received funding under the SAF (725 full-time) and 105 (part-time).

My Department is committed to the continued the roll-out of supports for students and targeted initiatives to support delivery of the vision and targets within the National Access Plan. 

Work on developing the new National Access Plan 2022 – 2026 is underway.  Colleagues in my Department are working closely with the Higher Education Authority in developing up priority actions and new target groups for the next National Access Plan.I am looking forward to publishing this new and exciting Plan this year. We hope to have a more student centred plan that drives our strategic goal of inclusion which is a cornerstone of my Department priorities. Our new plan which is at an advanced stage of preparation will have an increased focus on student success.

I secured an additional €5m in budget 2022 to bring forward targeted measures to support the implementation of this plan when it is published.

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.

Also in 2021 an additional €1.3m was allocated to the Fund (as a result of underspends in SUSI) to meet the additional demands identified by the Higher Education Institutions arising from COVID19.

The SAF assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Institutions have the autonomy to maximise the flexibility in the Student Assistance Fund to enable HEIs to support students during the COVID-19 situation. 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.  

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, including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student's local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie.

Fostering Inclusion is one of the three core pillars around which the Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy 2020-2024 is built. The FET sector is committed to increasing levels of inclusion through the provision of high quality, more accessible and flexible education and training programmes and supports suited to the identified needs of individuals, including for those heading one-parent families. FET provision is largely free or heavily subsidised, and a number of financial supports may be available to learners to facilitate the participation of individuals who would not otherwise be in a position to take up training. I would encourage people to make an appointment with their local Adult Education Guidance Service (AEGS), available in each Education and Training Boards (ETB) across the country free of charge, to discuss what supports may be available to them.