Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will modify, improve or ease the qualification limits for the back to education allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15278/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides a wide range of second chance education opportunities to facilitate people on certain social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force.

The back to education allowance (BTEA) is one of these second chance education opportunities schemes. It is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the applicant for participation in the scheme. It essentially replaces their existing social welfare income and in addition an annual €400 cost of education allowance is payable.

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.

The current scheme is in place since January 1998 and has been subject to review and modification over the years to ensure it continues to support those people who are most distant from the labour market and whose need is greatest.

In the 2005 Budget I reduced the qualifying period for access to the third level option of the scheme from 15 to 12 months and at that time I also increased the annual cost of education allowance, paid to people on BTEA, from €254 to €400.

Following an undertaking to the Dáil and the Social Affairs Committee, I further reduced the qualifying period for access to the third level option to 9 months. This provision applies to persons who are participating in the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) process where a FÁS Employment Services Officer recommends pursuance of a third level course of study as essential to the enhancement of the individual's employment prospects. This new provision also came into effect from 1 September 2005.

In the 2006 Budget, I announced that time spent in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance from the Health Services Executive or the direct provision system operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform can count towards the qualifying period for back to education allowance in circumstances where the person establishes an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment prior to commencing an approved course of study. This provision came into effect from 1 September 2006.

In the most recent Budget, I announced that people who are awarded statutory redundancy may access the BTEA scheme immediately provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established prior to commencing an approved course of study. I also reduced the qualifying period for illness benefit recipients from three to two years. These further improvements to the BTEA scheme will come into effect from the beginning of the new academic year, that is, 1 September 2007.

I will continue to monitor the scheme but I believe that, overall, the current arrangements provide that my Department's back to education allowance scheme continues to meet its objectives and ensures that limited resources are targeted at those who are most in need.