Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will alter the qualifying criteria for the back to education allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26186/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The back to education allowance (BTEA) 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. The scheme enables people to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time course of study. The scheme also provides an annual cost of education grant of €400.

As part of the Government's Expenditure Review Programme, a working group chaired by my Department reviewed the back to education allowance scheme in 2005. The Group comprised representatives of the Departments of Social & Family Affairs, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Education and Science, Finance and FÁS. The working group made nine recommendations, some of which have already been implemented.

These include earlier access to the allowance for participants of the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP). Access is now available to the third level option for qualified participants who have been in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance for nine months as opposed to the standard requirement of twelve months. Additionally the scheme has been extended to include all those of working age in receipt of a Social Welfare payment.

Recent Budgets have also provided for improvements to the back to education scheme. The 2006 Budget provided that time spent in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance from the Health Services Executive or in the direct provision system operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform can count towards the qualifying period 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 Budget 2007 it was provided that people who are awarded Statutory Redundancy may access the scheme immediately provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established prior to commencing an approved course of study. In addition the qualifying period for illness benefit recipients was reduced from three to two years. These further improvements to the back to education scheme came into effect from the beginning of the current academic year i.e. 1 September 2007.

The operation of my Department's employment support measures, in the context of current labour market conditions, is continually monitored to ensure that it continues to support those people who are the most distant from the labour market and whose needs are greatest. At present it not proposed to make any further changes in qualifying criteria.