“Sinn Féin spokesperson for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Rose Conway-Walsh TD has called on the government to take immediate action to support students to make it to third-level by cutting fees and increasing SUSI supports …” (more)
[Sinn Féin, 14 September]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of expanding eligibility for mature independents maintenance grants to include all mature applicants that have been forced to live with their parents for financial reasons; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 8 September]
“Student registration fees are ‘too high’ and will be looked at over the lifetime of the Government, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said. As students prepare for the college year, he insisted the Susi grant system will be flexible to ‘take on board if a family’s income has changed due to Covid-19’ …” (more)
[Catherine Devine, Independent, 1 September]
“The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has said he is committed to working to reduce third level fees. Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Simon Harris said the registration fee for students is ‘too high’ and he would like to see fees addressed during his tenure as minister …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 31 August]
“Students should be refunded for accommodation if another Covid-19 lockdown forces the closure of colleges, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said …” (more)
[Dominic McGrath, TheJournal.ie, 31 August]
“Thousands of university students have received notice that their SUSI payments will be delayed to October 9th as opposed to the usual September start date. This two week delay has left many financially stranded as they are still expected to pay accommodation deposits or a full months’ rent before SUSI issues its first instalments …” (more)
[Casey Conway, College Tribune, 26 August]
“Four in five students fear they won’t have enough money to stay in college this year. And Covid-19 is to blame because of falling incomes in families and the complete collapse of summer work that normally allow students to build a nest egg for the year …” (more)
[Ferghal Blaney, Dublin Live, 20 August]
“A Kerry councillor is calling for a radical overhaul of the Student Grant Scheme due to COVID-19. Fine Gael Councillor Michael Foley says he has been contacted by parents and students who are concerned about financing their places in college and the status of their applications for maintenance grants …” (more)
[Radio Kerry News, 9 August]
“Sinn Féin spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Rose Conway-Walsh has called on Further and Higher Education to be made accessible and affordable for everyone irrespective of their age, geography or financial circumstances …” (more)
[Sinn Féin, 6 August]
“Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Funchion is calling for third-level education to be made accessible and affordable for everyone, irrespective of age, geography or financial circumstances. Deputy Funchion is asking students in the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency to ‘tell their story’ by filling out Sinn Féin’s survey on the grants system …” (more)
[Suzanne Pender, Carlow Nationalist, 6 August]
“Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that have been put in place to help students returning to third-level education who are uncertain as to the way in which they will pay fees, especially in cases in which part-time income has been affected by Covid-19 …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 July]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the SUSI maintenance grant by 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 percent respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 28 July]
“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of expanding SUSI grants to cover master’s programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 28 July]
“There are fears of a knock-on effect for student grants as the Leaving Cert results and CAO offers have been delayed until September. The Department of Education last night confirmed calculated grades for 60,000 students will not now be issued until September 7, three weeks later than usual …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly and Aoife Walsh, Independent, 17 July]
“Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if further consideration has been given to or the status of a financial package for the third-level institutions; and if so, if it will include increased SUSI, HEAR, DARE and Access funding to ensure expansion of access to third-level education …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 14 July]
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if applicants for higher education grants that worked during the Covid-19 emergency will not incur a reduction or cessation of SUSI grant entitlement in view of the fact that they worked as requested during the emergency; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 30 June]
“Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the SUSI requirement will be reduced for students who have applied for asylum, subsidiary protection or leave to remain here from three years in a school here to two years reflecting the duration of the leaving certificate …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 16 June]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has expressed concern about the lack of a plan to reduce Irish student fees in the programme for government put forward by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, and the Green Party this week. In a statement issued today, USI said that while some elements of the programme were promising, there was a lack of detail on how a number of actions will be taken …” (more)
[Patrick Coyle, Trinity News, 18 June]
“Almost four months after the general election, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party have drawn up a programme for government, which will now be put to their members for a vote …” (more)
[Aoife Kearins and Emer Moreau, University Times, 15 June]
