John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for attending the House to debate this issue. I wish to put it in context. A lot of debate on social welfare in recent weeks has centred on eliminating fraud and fraudulent claims. I support the Minister's actions and ambitions in this area. I want to discuss the other side of the coin.

The Minister said she wants to eliminate fraud in order that people who deserve payments would receive them. I refer to the back to education allowance. When the unemployment crisis hit a number of years ago people were encouraged to upskill and go back to education. In many cases because of criteria that were suitable five years ago but not now people are not allowed to return to education. I could provide the Minister with many examples but I do not have time.

A young graduate who is qualified in heritage studies had a job for a few years in a county council. She has young children and lost her job. She has been in receipt of the jobseeker's allowance for the past few years. She now wants to do a simple PLC course to get a job in health care and work in a nursing home. She showed me letters which guaranteed her employment by next June if she was able to complete a course. She was five weeks into the course when her back to education allowance payments were suspended. She is now in receipt of the jobseeker's allowance again. By next June she will have no chance of leaving the live register and no job.

Removing the option will impact on people in such situations. People have served apprenticeships in building and construction and are on level 6 of a course, many of whom are in receipt of the jobseeker's allowance. They will no longer be in a position to receive the back to education allowance or avail of FETAC level 5 or PLC courses. Many were hoping to do so in order to upskill. As the rules currently stand, such people are expected to progress to third level education, which they have been out of for many years. It does not fit with what they need at this point in time.

In the past social welfare facilitators made recommendations but that system seems to be gone, something of which I am aware from speaking to such people in the past few weeks. I ask the Minister to examine the criteria. I am not trying to accommodate people who want to be eternal students and continue to do courses at the same level. I am referring to people who want to do courses that will help them to get employment, yet because they are currently outside the criteria they cannot be accommodated and will cost the State thousands of euro. Such people have no qualifications or employment as a result.

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