Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will reconsider an application for a person (details supplied) in County Cork under the back to education allowance. [5197/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The back to education allowance is a second chance education opportunities programme 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 work force.

At present, to qualify for participation in the scheme an applicant must be, inter alia, in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for at least six months if pursuing a second level course of study. The qualifying period for third level courses of study was increased from six months to 15 months for new applicants from September 2004.

The person concerned, started his course of study in September 2004 when the qualifying criteria was 15 months and does not, therefore, satisfy the eligibility criteria for participation in the scheme. It is not possible, in this case, to make a retrospective award of the allowance as the 12 month qualifying condition does not come into effect until September 2005.