David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 621: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 13 of 1 March 2007, the number of people in receipt of out of pocket expenses from his Department; the qualification criteria of the payment; the schemes and programmes to which this payment applies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10586/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The back to education programmes operated by my Department take cognisance of the fact that the more structured full-time second or third level courses of study that are approved under the back to education allowance scheme may not suit people who have been out of the education system for some time.

In recognition of this, in Budget 2007, I extended the €32 weekly out of pocket expenses payment to people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who agree to attend specified short-term courses of education, training or development that are organised by my Department's Facilitators. A broad range of courses may be pursued, including personal development courses, basic education e.g. literacy and numeracy classes, general training courses and the acquisition of specific job skills. The out of pocket expenses is a payment towards costs i.e. meal and travel, that persons may incur as a result of participation in one of these courses.

The number of people who attended courses of education, training and development and who availed of out of pocket expenses in the year ending December 2006 was 490. Unlike the other options within the back to education programmes, applicants for out of pocket expenses do not have to satisfy any specific eligibility criteria other than be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment. Currently, the relevant social welfare payments that qualify are job-seekers allowance, job-seekers benefit and one parent family payment.

I have extended this provision to a wider range of other social welfare recipients including farm assist, deserted wife's allowance, deserted wife's benefit, widow's/widower's contributory and non-contributory pension, prisoners wife's allowance, disability allowance, illness benefit, invalidity pension, blind pension, incapacity supplement, carer's allowance and the qualified adult dependant increase for a person in receipt of one of the aforementioned relevant payments. The qualified adult dependant of a person in receipt of job-seekers allowance or job-seekers benefit can also avail of this provision. This change will come into effect from May this year.