Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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902.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether it is appropriate for SUSI to seek to recoup an overpayment to an individual (details supplied) who was given incorrect information by the SUSI helpline and is now facing having to drop out of college due to the reduction of their grant and the aforementioned attempt to recoup the overpayment; and if he will examine the situation to see if any accommodation can be made, given the mistake on the part of SUSI. [24970/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Under section 24 of the Student Support Act 2011, a person is liable to repay to the awarding authority money that the person is not entitled to receive. Where overpayments do arise, SUSI has a formal Overpayments Policy and implements a structured process of debt management to seek their recovery.

Regarding the specific query raised by the Deputy, SUSI have advised that while the Applicant did contact the helpline this was in relation to their 2023/2024 application and not the academic year where the overpayment occurred.

I would encourage the applicant in question to contact the Access Office of the institution they attend to consider what additional supports may be available to them such as the Student Assistance Fund which can help discharge costs such as rent, transport and course materials. The HEA website www.studentfinance.ie also provides details of other bursaries or scholarships that may be of benefit to the applicant.