David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 288: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who commenced third level education under the back-to-education allowance for each academic year since the year 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27718/05]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 289: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who were in receipt of the back-to-education allowance for each academic year since the year 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27719/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 and 289 together.

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. The number of persons participating in the back-to-education allowance scheme since 2000 are as follows:

The numbers who left the live register to commence a third level course of study with the assistance of the scheme between 2000 and 2004 are as follows:

These totals represent about 70% of commencements. Statistics on those who commenced after coming from other payments in that period are not available. A total of 1,206 commenced a third level course of study with the assistance of the back-to-education allowance scheme in the 2004 to 2005 academic year. This total includes 858 who left the live register and 348 who came from other schemes, such as one-parent family payment. Statistics for the 2005 to 2006 academic year are being collated.