USI wants single body to allocate €200m in grants

STUDENTS protested outside Leinster House yesterday calling for a streamlining of the third-level grants system.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) condemned what it sees as needless waste.

It says that the money that would be saved if one central body processed and delivered maintenance could be spent on student grants, instead of the 66 local authorities which currently process the grants individually for students from their respective administrative areas.