Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 261: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether a homeless person (details supplied) who is currently studying and who does not strictly conform to the requirements of the BTEA, VTOS, and ETD schemes will be provided with living expenses by the person's community welfare officer in order that the person does not have to drop out in order to subsist and pay rent; and if he will make a statement on the way in which homeless persons in such circumstances might be assisted in trying to better themselves through education. [33360/05]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 262: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether a homeless person (details supplied) who is currently studying and who does not strictly conform to the requirements of the BTEA, VTOS, and ETD schemes will be provided with living expenses by the person's community welfare officer in order that the person does not have to drop out in order to subsist and pay rent; and if he will make a statement on the way in which homeless persons in such circumstances might be assisted in trying to better themselves through education. [33361/05]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 263: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether a homeless person (details supplied) who has been granted asylum and who has recently left a residential care home and who is currently studying and who does not strictly conform to the requirements of the BTEA, VTOS, and ETD schemes will be provided with living expenses by the person's community welfare officer in order that the person does not have to drop out in order to subsist and pay rent; and if he will make a statement on the way in which homeless persons in such circumstances might be assisted in trying to better themselves through education. [33362/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to answer Questions Nos. 261 to 263, inclusive, together.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in decisions on individual claims.

With the exception of those participating in my Department's back to education allowance scheme, people in full-time education are excluded under social welfare legislation from receipt of rent supplement or other payments under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. They are also precluded from receipt of unemployment assistance in this situation.

The back to education allowance and related VTOS schemes are special second chance educational opportunities designed to encourage and facilitate certain groups, particularly people who have been unemployed for a substantial period of time and are having difficulty getting a job, to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of gaining employment.

To qualify for participation in the back to education scheme, an applicant must be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for a period of at least 12 months immediately prior to commencing an approved course of study. In addition to the allowance payable, eligible people are also entitled to retain any secondary benefits such as rent supplement which had been in payment to them prior to commencing their educational course.

This scheme is not appropriate to the generality of students who complete their second level education and continue to third level studies in the normal way. The relevant state support mechanism in such cases is the annual third level maintenance grants scheme, to assist people from lower income households towards their living costs while undertaking college courses.

None of the three people concerned satisfy the eligibility criteria for participation in the back to education allowance scheme as they have not been in receipt of a qualifying relevant social welfare payment for a period of at least 12 months.

The Dublin/mid-Leinster area of the Health Service Executive has advised that while it would wish to be as supportive as possible of the people referred to in the question, in considering each of their applications for supplementary welfare allowance and rent supplement, it has determined that they are not eligible for assistance on the basis that they are full-time students and they are not participating in my Department's back to education allowance scheme.

One of the people concerned has withdrawn from her education course recently and her supplementary welfare allowance entitlements have been restored to her accordingly. The executive has further advised that each of the people concerned has referred his or her case for adjudication by the area appeals office.

In the meantime, the executive will also review the cases in question to consider whether rent supplement may be paid in these cases as an exceptional measure given the particular circumstances in which these individuals are seeking to improve their situation. Decisions on these individual appeals and the outcome of the local case reviews are expected shortly and the people concerned will be notified of the outcome.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 264: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary was refused a heating allowance. [33369/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims.

Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, a recipient of a social welfare or Health Services Executive payment who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity can apply to his or her local community welfare officer for a special heating supplement.

The south eastern area of the executive has advised that the person concerned had previously been in receipt of a heating supplement. In the course of a review it came to the attention of the executive that the person's means and circumstances had changed. The executive contacted the person concerned in order to determine his current means and personal circumstances.

He subsequently indicated to the executive at the beginning of November that he no longer wished to be paid a heating supplement. In the light of this question, the executive has contacted the person concerned again this week to clarify his current situation.