IE
S.I. No. 155/2015 - Student Grant Scheme 2015.
Table of Provisions (42)
Statutory Text (42 Articles)
2. Carers Allowance
3. One Parent Family Payment
4. Jobseekers Allowance Transition
5. Deserted Wifes Allowance
6. Disability Allowance
8. Jobseekers Allowance (where held for 391 days or more)*
9. State Pension (Non-Contributory)
10. Guardians Payment (Non-Contributory)
11. Pre-retirement allowance
12. Widows, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension
Social Insurance Payments
13. Carers Benefit
14. Deserted Wifes Benefit
15. Invalidity pension
16. Incapacity Supplement
17. Occupational Injuries Death Benefit (Orphans pension)
18. Occupational Injuries Benefit — Death Benefit (Widow or Widower’s Pension)
19. State Pension (Contributory)
20. Guardians Payment (Contributory)
21. Jobseekers Benefit (continuous for at least 12 months)*
22. Widows, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension
23. State Pension (Transition)
Designated Programmes
24. Back to Education Allowance (Second Level and Third Level Options)
25. Back to Work Allowance (Employees)
26. Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
27. Community Employment Scheme
28. Rural Social Scheme
29. Tús Initiative
30. FÁS Training Programmes, including Apprenticeships
31. Part-time job incentive scheme
32. Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
Others
33. Foster Care and Aftercare Allowances where paid in respect of the applicant
34. Independent Living Allowance for Young People in Residential Care
35. Family Income Supplement (FIS)
36. In receipt of payments under the FIT (Fastrack to IT) initiative equivalent to a social welfare payment;
37. Participants on a training course approved by a Government Department, State Agency or Area Partnership and who were in receipt of an eligible payment prior to progressing to the programme;
38. Grant aided employees in Community Services Programmes (formerly social economy enterprises);
39. In receipt of payments under the Senior Traveller Training Centre programmes.
*Combine periods of Jobseekers Allowance and Jobseekers Benefit and other eligible payments for purposes of meeting the prescribed period of 391 days or 12 month requirement respectively.
The Department of Social Protection Illness Benefit or Maternity Benefit can also be used to combine periods of Jobseekers Allowance and Jobseekers Benefit provided a period of Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit comes directly before and directly after the period of Illness Benefit or Maternity Benefit.
Periods on JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, can also be combined with periods on other listed eligible payments provided a period on an eligible payment comes directly before and directly after the period on JobBridge.
SCHEDULE 3
Rates of maintenance grant for the financial year 2015
Annual Rates
SCHEDULE 4
Maximum overall limits for a fee grant for the 2015/16 academic year
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform consents to the making of the foregoing Scheme.
GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform,
22 April 2015.
BRENDAN HOWLIN,
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
GIVEN under my Official Seal,
22 April 2015.
JAN O’SULLIVAN,
Minister for Education and Skills.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).
This Scheme of Grant is made pursuant to powers conferred on the Minister for Education and Skills under the
Student Support Act 2011
.
This Scheme may be cited as the Student Grant Scheme 2015.
40. Any overpayment made in respect of a grant awarded under this Scheme may be recovered by the paying awarding authority in accordance with section 24 of the Act.
Part 6
Appeals
Appeals to appeals officers
41. Where an applicant is aggrieved by a determination of an awarding authority under this Scheme he or she may, pursuant to section 20 of the Act, appeal against that determination to an appeals officer designated by the awarding authority under that section.
Appeals to Appeals Board
42. Where an applicant is aggrieved by a determination of an appeals officer under section 20(5) of the Act, he or she may, pursuant to section 21 of the Act, appeal against that determination to the Appeals Board.
SCHEDULE 1
Reckonable Income Limits for the 2015/16 academic year
1.
Reckonable income limits
The period 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 is the reference period for the academic year 2015/16.
A tuition student does not qualify for any maintenance grants. The income limits that apply to tuition students are outlined in Tables C — F of this Schedule.
PLC students
Table A
: Income limits for maintenance grants (as specified in Schedule 3)
* To be eligible for the special rate of maintenance the reckonable income on 31 December 2014 must include an eligible payment listed in Schedule 2.
** Increments which may be added to the relevant income limits.
Undergraduate students
Table B
: Income limits for maintenance grants (as specified in Schedule 3)
* To be eligible for the special rate of maintenance the reckonable income on 31 December 2014 must include an eligible payment listed in Schedule 2.
** Increments which may be added to the relevant income limits.
Any maintenance grant awarded under the income limits in Table B will also include an award for the full student contribution grant, where the student contribution is chargeable.
Table C
: Income limits for the student contribution grant (as specified in Schedule 4)
** Increments which may be added to the relevant income limits
Table D
: Income limits for tuition fees (as specified in Schedule 4)
** Increments which may be added to the relevant income limits.
Postgraduate students
Table E
Income limits for tuition fees (as specified in Schedule 4)
* To be eligible for tuition fees the conditions for the special rate of maintenance must be satisfied
** Increments which may be added to the relevant income limits
Table F
: Income limits for postgraduate fee contribution (as specified in Schedule 4)
** Increments which may be applied to the relevant income limits
In the 2015/16 academic year, where the applicant plus one or more relevant persons are attending an approved course for the purposes of this Scheme or a full-time course of at least one years duration in further or higher education and training in the State or any other Member State leading to a major award at Levels 5 to 10, of the framework of qualifications or to an equivalent qualification made by a recognised awarding body in the State or in another Member State, the reckonable income limits for each of the rates of grant in Tables A, B, C, D & F may be increased by an additional increment as identified.
Holiday Earnings
2.
Holiday Earnings
A deduction of up to a maximum amount of €3,809 may be applied to student earnings outside of term time but within the reference period.
SCHEDULE 2
Eligible payments for the special rate of maintenance grant for the 2015/16 academic year
As at 31 December 2014, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible payments listed in this Schedule, or its equivalence from an EU Member State, net of—
(
a
) income disregards (as set out in article 22(4) of this Scheme); and
(
b
) Child Dependant Increase (C.D.I.), where paid by the Department of Social Protection.
Social Assistance Payments