“SIGNIFICANT INCREASES” TO student grants are likely to be announced in tomorrow’s budget.

The increases to the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grants would benefit over 50,000 students and it’s understood that the payment increases will begin from January.

It’s understood that the payments will increase by over €300, meaning the highest student grant will rise from €6,971 to €7,313.

Post-graduate students are also said to be in line to benefit from tomorrow’s budget and will be eligible for grant support of up to €2,300.

Talks were said to be ongoing with Minister Harris over a reduction to college fees.

The three coalition leaders met with Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe yesterday afternoon to finalise details of the budget.

The total cost of Budget 2024 is around €6.4 billion, with taxation measures worth €1.1 billion of the total.

Final details for a number of Departments will continue today.

Elsewhere, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys confirmed that welfare rates will increase for pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and working families in Budget 2024.

The minister also said she was pushing for “lump sum” welfare payments, and that she was supportive of the “very popular” double child benefit as part of the cost-of-living package accompanying the budget.

Speaking yesterday on RTÉ’s This Week, Humphreys said of the double child benefit payment in Budget 2024: “There’s nothing nailed down yet, but we did do a double child benefit payment last year, and I have to say, it’s got a very positive feedback.

“There are many mothers and they’re very glad of it, and they were very glad of it last year.

“It supports working families, and we all know things get tight coming up to Christmas, and I was a young working mother myself and I saw that first-hand.”

-With additional reporting from Christina Finn and Press Association