News item | 04-09-2023 | 23:19
Under certain conditions, the one-off energy costs allowance will also be available to students who take longer to complete their studies. These are students whose parents had a low income, but who no longer receive a supplementary grant and can still use a loan. The allocation is made on the basis of the most recent data available on the income of the parents. These students are thus aligned as much as possible with students living away from home who are still in the regular course duration and who receive a supplementary grant, of which it was previously announced that they will receive this allowance. A proposal to regulate this is included in the one-off energy supplement 2023 bill by Minister Carola Schouten of Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions. This bill was presented to the House of Representatives on 3 July.
Minister Schouten: “The energy bill is lower than last year, but still a lot higher than before. People who already have little can not afford those price increases and can get into financial problems. This can also apply to students whose parents cannot help, whether they study shorter or longer. We want to prevent this. Partly thanks to the efforts of DUO, we have also succeeded in giving this group of students a one-off allowance for their energy costs.”
Background bill
With the Energy Allowance 2023 bill, households that are at or just above the social minimum will receive a one-off energy allowance for the higher energy costs. They receive this via the municipality, which often already knows these households. In order to keep the energy surcharge feasible for municipalities, a separate regulation has been included in the bill for students. Students who live on their own on 1 October and receive a basic grant and a supplementary grant because their parents have a low income will receive a one-off allowance of €400 via the Education Executive Agency (DUO).
Solution for students who take longer to complete their studies
Students in the so-called loan phase were previously not reached with the bill. DUO has no additional information about this group, such as whether they live at home or away from home or their parents’ income. This information is not necessary for the granting of the loan. In the new law, the minister proposes to allocate the energy costs allowance on the basis of the latest available data. If, according to this information, the student was entitled to a supplementary grant due to the income of the parents, he or she will also receive a one-off allowance of €400. No distinction can be made here between students living away from home and students living at home, because DUO does not have access to this information. features.
Bill progress
The additional regulations for students in the loan phase are set out in the Memorandum of Amendment that was sent to the House of Representatives today, together with the answers to the written questions about the bill. The 2023 one-off energy surcharge bill will enter into force once it has been adopted by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is expected that the Education Executive Agency will then be able to start paying the one-off allowance to students in early 2024.