Parliamentary Question No. 108 on Thursday, 21st February, 2013
Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha
To the Minister for Education and Science
To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason Student Universal
Support Ireland insist on obtaining financial accounts to accompany student
grant applications from farms which are in receipt of the farm assist scheme, a
payment which is only made to those families working on small low income farms;
if he will clarify the reason a statement from the Department of Social
Protection detailing farm assist payment is not sufficient to enable the
processing of the initial student grant application..
– Seán Kyne.
Freagra
Minister Ruairí Quinn
The assessment of means under my Department’s student grant scheme is based on
gross income from all sources. The means test arrangements of the student grant
scheme are applied nationally. In the case of both employed and self-employed
applicants, gross income is assessed with certain specified social welfare and
health service executive payments excluded.
Eligibility for Farm Assist is determined and administered by the Department of
Social Protection, in addition to wide range of other means tested schemes.
While Farm Assist is a means-tested income support scheme for farmers and is
similar to Jobseeker’s Allowance, it has a different means test.
My Department’s statutory based Student Grant Scheme has its own particular
qualifying terms and conditions. An applicant must provide the necessary
documentation in order that the awarding authority may determine whether or not
an applicant is eligible to receive a student grant.