Request for €1m grant to match inflation refused

STUDENTS have less spending power this year because the Department of Finance turned down Education Minister Mary Hanafin’s request for just over €1 million to offer grant increases to match rising inflation, the Irish

The minister announced last July that the ordinary maintenance grant, payable to around 45,000 grant recipients, would rise by 3% to just over €3,100 for the current academic year.

But documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that she asked the Department of Finance to approve a 3.9% increase.