Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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361. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that illness benefit is not included in the SUSI special rate award of eligible Department of Social Protection payments in circumstances where the payment is claimed over a longer period; his plans, if any, to review the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46895/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant in the 2022/23 academic year as specified under the Student Grant Scheme 2022 is as follows:

1. Student must qualify for the standard rate of grant;

2. Total reckonable income (net of income disregards and Child Dependant Increase) 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 the Student Grant Scheme.

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.

Illness Benefit is considered to be a short-term social welfare payment and, therefore, it is not included as an eligible payment for the purposes of the special rate of maintenance grant. 391 days is the time period as determined by the Department of Social Protection for a social welfare payment to be regarded as long term, and refers to social welfare days as opposed to calendar days. Illness Benefit is operated by the Department of Social Protection on a 6 day week basis.

The 391 day requirement for the purposes of qualifying for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme is operated in line with the arrangements as determined by the Department of Social Protection and follows its interpretation as to what it considers to be a long term payment. However, the Student Grant Scheme also makes provision for combining periods of Illness Benefit and other eligible payments for the purposes of meeting the 391 days eligibility requirement for the special rate of grant.

Any student who believes his/her student grant application has been assessed incorrectly may also avail of the opportunities to appeal to SUSI and subsequently to the independent Student Grant Appeals Board.