Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will respond to criticism voiced by the One Family group that the delay in reversing changes in the operation of the back to education allowance scheme requires lone parents to remain in poverty until such changes take effect. [6072/05]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has reconsidered reversing the qualifying period for the back to education allowance to nine months; when he expects this change to be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6091/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 113 together.

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 workforce.

The conditions for entitlement to the third level option of the back to education allowance were revised with effect from 1 September 2004. From that date, the qualifying period was increased from six months to 15 months for new applicants intending to commence third level courses of study.

The number of lone parents accessing the scheme has risen from 1,282 in the 2003-04 academic year to 1,514 in the current year, an increase of 18%. This indicates that the increase in the qualifying period to 15 months had no adverse effect on the number of lone parents accessing the BTEA scheme. In fact, the number of lone parents pursuing third level study with the assistance of the BTEA scheme shows an overall increase of almost 90% over the last three years.

The BTEA scheme was always intended to benefit people who had difficulty finding employment because of a lack of education qualifications. In many cases, people who have not completed second level education are held back in their efforts to obtain employment because of this. The qualification period for people who wish to pursue second level education has remained at six months and the numbers taking second level education with the support of the BTEA are increasing.

As Deputies will be aware, I reduced the qualifying period for access to the third level option of the scheme to 12 months in the recent budget. I also increased the annual cost of education allowance, paid to people on BTEA, from €254 to €400. These changes will take effect from 1 September 2005.

I am satisfied that, overall, the current arrangements ensure that the scheme supports those people who are most distant from the labour market and whose need is greatest.

As I have undertaken to the Dáil and the social affairs committee, I will continue to keep the qualifying period for this scheme under regular review.