Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, he/she would be assessed as a dependent student, i.e., assessed with reference to parental income and address.

Only in exceptional cases, where compelling evidence of irreconcilable estrangement from parents/guardians is provided, can candidates who are under 23 be assessed without reference to their parents/guardians income or address, Article 21(3) (b) of the Scheme refers.

If an applicant is irreconcilably estranged from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) they can declare this on their SUSI application. Such applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a specialist assessment team who are dedicated to giving them the care and thorough consideration required around such a sensitive issue.

In relation to the student referred to by the Deputy, my officials have informed me that SUSI has received additional documents from the student and their application is now queued for review by a member of the specialist assessment team. The student will be notified of the outcome of this review in writing once complete.

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.