David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if an upper age limit exists regarding eligibility for the back to education allowance scheme; his plans to remove same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40994/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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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 work force.

To qualify for participation an applicant must, inter alia, be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment and at least 21 years of age prior to commencing an approved course of study. Persons in receipt of disability related payments may access the scheme at 18 years of age. Similarly, lone parents and persons in receipt of unemployment payments can qualify at 18 years of age provided they are out of formal education for at least 2 years. A list of the qualifying Social Welfare payments is set out in the following tabular statement. There is no upper age limit for this scheme.

To qualify for the Back-To-Education Allowance, a person must be in receipt of one of the following Payments

Job Seekers Allowance

Farm Assist

One Parent Family Payment

Deserted Wife's Allowance

Non Contributory State Pension

Widows/Widowers Contributory Pension

Prisoners Wife's Allowance

Disability Allowance

Blind Pension

Invalidity Pension

Unemployability Supplement

Carer's Allowance

Illness Benefit (in receipt of for at least 3 years).