Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I am disappointed that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs is not present to listen to it. Three of my constituents who are homeless have managed to secure places at college. One, to whom I will refer as Anne is 19 and has just enrolled in Liberties College for a one-year child care course. Another, to whom I will refer as Simon, is also 19 and has just enrolled in a film and media course at St. Kevin's College. A third, to whom I will refer as Sarah is also 19 and has just enrolled in Inchicore College in a full-time diploma course in social studies.

All three have several things in common. First, they all reside at St. Catherine's Foyer in the Liberties where their quest to better themselves has been facilitated and encouraged by the three dedicated staff there. Second, all three are remarkably determined individuals who have overcome many obstacles to get to this point in their lives. Anne is from Sierra Leone and was granted asylum in Ireland. Until recently, she was in a residential care home and from there was sent to St. Catherine's Foyer. Simon arrived at the foyer at the beginning of this year from hospital and completed an information technology course in June at St. Tiernan's College. Sarah, who is diabetic and who has suffered from other illnesses, decided to use her time at the foyer to find a way out of the difficulties in which she had found herself in by applying to study for the diploma in social studies at Inchicore College.

All three of these young people are very determined. However, they have something else in common. Despite the anti-poverty strategies, the commitments in Sustaining Progress, the housing plans, and the billions we spend on social welfare provision in the State on schemes such as the back to education allowance, BTEA, the education, training and development options, ETD, and the vocational training opportunities scheme, VTOS, not one of these three determined, young, homeless 19 year olds is eligible for the financial assistance they require to pay their rent and eat while they complete their courses. They fall through the gaps.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Extraordinary.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Anne is not entitled, because having been in the care of the State since she arrived in Ireland, has not been able to build up the kind of relationship with the social welfare system that would enable her to conform to the length of time in receipt of benefits criteria stipulated under the VTOS, BTEA and ETD schemes. Worse, when Anne was discharged from the residential care home, she was referred to St. Catherine's Foyer and to no other agency that might help this enthusiastic, committed young woman better herself through education. Will we permit her to fall through the gaps?

Simon is not entitled because having been in receipt of a hospital fund payment and then a discretionary supplementary welfare allowance payment from the health board while at St. Tiernan's College proving his determination to better himself through education, the community welfare officer at South Earl Street has now informed him that he will not be given a supplementary welfare allowance while at St. Kevin's College. Even worse, Simon has been told that the time he spent in receipt of the hospital fund payment and in receipt of a social welfare allowance will not count as part of the length of time in receipt of benefits criteria stipulated under the various education schemes. Will we let him fall through the gaps?

Sarah, who was working until recently, does not fulfil the length of time on benefits criteria either and will fall through the gaps like the other two young people whose stories I have told unless something is done. Sarah is somewhat luckier than Simon and Ann as she has been granted €1,500 by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. However, she is also diabetic and has special dietary requirements, she must pay for bus fares, equipment and stationery and, even if she manages to get a maintenance grant from the VEC, she will find it difficult to remain in her course, pay her rent, eat and buy the materials she needs. Will she also be allowed to fall through the gaps?

It is a simple choice for us as legislators and for the Minister in charge. We could stand by while Ann, Simon and Sarah drop out of their courses and lose what may be their only chance to better themselves through education, drop out, sign on and receive unemployment assistance or we can find the flexibility within the current system to ensure that homeless young people such as these who have the brains and determination to succeed in bettering themselves do not fall through the gaps. They have worked hard to step back into society, get educations through the courses we encourage them to do and be given decent opportunities.

Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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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.