Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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482. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a matter could be investigated as a student (details supplied) is at risk of losing out on a year of SUSI grant through no fault of their own; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20212/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded 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, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.

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 an appeals officer in 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 (i.e. not later than 30 days after the notification of the determination of the appeals officer to the applicant). Such appeals can be made by the appellant on line via www.studentgrantappeals.ie.

With regard to the specific application, I have been advised by my officials that the student in question submitted an application to SUSI for the 2021/2022 academic year and was refused on 8^thNovember 2021 on the basis of not providing information requested by the awarding authority relating to income within the required timeframe.

To date the information required to complete the income assessment for the students 2021/2022 application has not been submitted. SUSI has confirmed that if the student submits the 2020 accounts, the 2021/2022 application will be reviewed.

I understand that the student was awarded a grant for the 2022/2023 academic year.