Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath who is just over six months unemployed, and who wishes to start a business, can avail of the back to work allowance; if, in this context changes will be made in order to ensure that people such as this person can obtain same and commence their own businesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The enterprise stream of the back to work allowance (BTWA) scheme is designed to assist people, who are long term dependant on social welfare payments, to take up self-employment. Participants receive a tapered percentage of their social welfare payment over a four year period for those who become self employed and they may also retain entitlement to certain other secondary benefits.

To qualify for the back to work enterprise allowance scheme, the person must receive approval from a partnership company or one of this Department's local facilitators before taking up self-employment. The person must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specified length of time immediately prior to commencing the self-employment. For a person on a Jobseeker's payment the qualifying period is 24 months. The person referred to by the Deputy has been in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit since September 2008 and, consequently, does not satisfy the eligibility criteria of the scheme.

The conditions of the scheme will continue to be monitored in the light of the changed economic circumstances.