Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

The problem of return to education for homeless persons is primarily a matter to be addressed through the education system. Our colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, has put in place a range of initiatives in the education field to address this problem in more effective ways, as set out in the White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life.

The Department of Education and Science administers a range of back to education programmes under the umbrella of its employment support services to encourage and facilitate unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities to return to work through the acquisition and improvement of skills and academic qualifications that will enable them to compete more successfully for employment. Programmes range from basic literacy courses through to postgraduate university courses and include the back to education allowance scheme, which covers full-time second and third level courses, the education, training and development option and the part-time education option.

The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to encourage and facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active workforce. As previously mentioned, there are two options available under this scheme, namely, the second and third level options. Under the third level option, a person may pursue a full-time third level course of study at a recognised third level institution.

The primary aim of the back to education allowance scheme is to assist people who are unable to access the labour market due to a lack of education and who are caught up in a cycle of unemployment and disadvantage. For example, the scheme has given many people who left school early a second chance for education, which improves their prospects of getting employment. Currently, to qualify for participation in this scheme, an applicant pursuing an approved third level course of study must be at least 21 years of age and in receipt of a relevant social payment for 12 months or nine months if participating in the national employment action plan.

The scheme has recently been the subject of a programme expenditure review. One of the review working group's recommendations was that the scheme should be extended to include all of those of working age in receipt of a welfare payment. In this context, there are currently a number of homeless people who are in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance for a minimum period of 12 months. They comprise a long-term welfare group whose eligibility for the scheme will shortly be reconsidered.

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