Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

This issue has been debated back and forth, at Question Time and during earlier Stages of this Bill. The Minister acknowledges that the allowance is important, and yet there have been no changes in this year's budget that might make it easier for people to qualify. I am particularly concerned about two categories in this regard. First, in order to enter third level education, people have to be unemployed and must be on the live register for a year. The second category refers to people on the minimum wage. Both categories are important, but having failed to persuade the Minister with regard to the first, I suspect it will be virtually impossible to persuade her of the value of the second. I cannot ignore the fact that people with ability in low paid jobs should be given the opportunity to avail of this as well, but today I shall concentrate on the plight of the unemployed in this regard.

This is extremely important, not only in terms of giving people a second chance but also providing many with their first opportunity of entering third level education. When we have discussed this on a number of occasions recently, the Minister has always replied to the effect that people who are made redundant can get it, as can those in a national education action plan, NEAP, area. However, of the 9,796 participating in 2008, those who got statutory redundancy amounted to 113 and those in NEAP areas came to 75. Those figures were not used in all the time we have been discussing this issue. It means in effect that the number qualifying for the back to education allowance under statutory redundancy and NEAP guidelines is less than 200. It makes a nonsense of the replies we have received to date. They were factually correct, but the reality is that significantly more people are not getting the back to education allowance.

I do not know about other Members, but I receive more queries regarding third level than second level because of the fact that the waiting period is a year. The Minister has said on "Prime Time", in the House and so on that the numbers participating are increasing, which is the case. However, that increase is at second level. When one looks at the figures for 2007-08, the numbers who have used the back to education allowance to access third level have dropped by more than 100 on the previous year. Therefore the back to education allowance is not working, particularly for people who want to go to third level, and it is very difficult to qualify.

I made the point before that if a person is unemployed, having been laid off in October, he or she will not be eligible by the following October, not having been on social welfare for 12 months. Effectively, he or she is waiting almost two years, certainly 23 months, before availing of the allowance, in those circumstances. A change to this makes common sense from the perspective of giving people an opportunity to go to third level. It also makes sense because all it will cost the Exchequer more per person per year is the €500 extra payment he or she gets under this allowance. I therefore urge the Minister to accept these amendments and make a change in this regard because it is an extremely important issue.

With regard to Deputy Shortall's amendment No. 31, will the Minister outline the criteria for the type of employment considered for the back to work allowance? How is it assessed and decided and what types of payments are made for what types of work? Is it a question of getting into a job or are ancillary costs taken into account regarding such work?

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