Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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120. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a 1% increase in the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, maintenance grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21378/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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.

The estimated cost of a 1% increase in the  2021/22 SUSI maintenance grant rates is in the region of €1.63m. As the Deputy may be aware as part of Budget 2022, I increased all maintenance grant  rates by €200, which is significantly more than 1%.

I commissioned a major review of the Student Grant Scheme, which has been conducted by Indecon International Economic Consultants under the direction of a steering group chaired by my Department and comprising a number of stakeholders.

It is my intention to bring the final report to Government shortly.  It is my strong view that cost and access issues must be considered in tandem with the issues of system funding and reform. If we want the best outcomes, we need a well funded system which is accessible to people regardless of their background. Reform of the student support system can also be a critical enabler of other strategic outcomes across the tertiary system, including enhanced lifelong learning and stronger diversity among the postgraduate community.

Given these interconnections, it is my intention to bring the Student grant review to Cabinet alongside the report on funding and reform of higher education.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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121. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of extending the income threshold increase announced as part of budget 2022 to the special rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21379/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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.

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 Dependent Increase(s) are excluded, must not exceed €24,500; and

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 dependents 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.

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. The income threshold changes when this Department of Social Protection rate changes so the estimate that the Deputy is requesting is not possible to provide.

However, as the Deputy may be aware I did increase the special rate of grant payment itself  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 the student is from the college attended.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of extending SUSI to support students from the South who study at approved institutions (details supplied) in the North of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21380/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I understand that the Deputy has clarified with my officials that the Deputy wishes to know the estimated cost of extending the student contribution grant to those undergraduate students currently studying in the four approved Institutions in the North of Ireland.

Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible 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.

In general, an approved undergraduate course in this context is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of not less than two years duration pursued in a university or third level institution, which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds in another EU Member State or the UK.

The Student Grant Scheme provides maintenance grants to eligible undergraduate students pursuing approved courses in other EU Member States. Student grant legislation was amended in 2020 to retain the status quo to allow maintenance grant funding for eligible students attending an approved undergraduate course in Northern Ireland/the UK to continue post Brexit.

The Student Grant Scheme does not extend to the payment of the student contribution to institutions outside the State for undergraduate students.

There are currently 327 students with addresses in the Republic of Ireland who have been awarded maintenance grant funding for undergraduate courses at Institutions in Northern Ireland.

The estimated cost of providing the student contribution grant to those 327 students is €1m. This does not take account of any additional students who may choose to study in Northern Ireland should a change be made to the scheme to allow for the payment of tuition fees to students studying in Northern Ireland.