Written answers

Thursday, 1 December 2005

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Educational Disadvantage

5:00 pm

Photo of Dinny McGinleyDinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 33: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department has a formal arrangement with the Department of Education and Science in relation to tackling educational disadvantage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37250/05]

Photo of Dinny McGinleyDinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the efforts his Department has taken to tackle educational disadvantage; if these efforts were carried out in conjunction with the Department of Education and Science; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37251/05]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 58 together.

My Department's 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 work force.

There are no specific formal arrangements currently in place between my Department and the Department of Education and Science aimed at tackling education disadvantage. However, the back to education allowance scheme has recently been the subject of a programme expenditure review.

The expenditure review working group includes representatives from the Department of Education and Science. The group examined, among other issues, the qualifying criteria for the scheme, targeting strategy and the future focus and administration of the scheme.

The working group completed the review in September of this year. The implementation phase, which is about to commence, will involve both my Department and the Department of Education and Science progressing the review's recommendations around second chance education for social welfare customers.

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