Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who availed of the back to work allowance and the back to work enterprise allowance in each of the past five years and to date in 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16940/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The back to work allowance (BTWA) scheme was designed to assist the long term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities and other social welfare recipients to return to work. There are two strands to the scheme; the back to work enterprise allowance for the self-employed and the back to work allowance for employees.

Details of the number of people benefiting from the back to work allowance and the back to work enterprise allowance for the past five years and to date in 2009 are set out in tabular format.

The recent supplementary budget provided for changes to the current back to work scheme. In order to respond effectively to the growing numbers on the live register and the current employment situation, it was decided to refocus resources on the enterprise strand of the back to work allowance which supports people into self employment. To this end the employee strand of the back to work allowance will be closed to new applicants. The changes provide for: A reduction in qualifying period required for access to back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) from 2 years to 12 months provided a person has an underlying entitlement to jobseeker's allowance. This is in conjunction with a reduction in the period for which the BTWEA is payable from 4 years to 2 years, at 100% of existing social welfare entitlement in the first year and 75% in the second; Immediate access to a shorter BTWEA, to be called Short Term Enterprise Allowance, for someone who qualifies for Jobseeker's Benefit (with 104 contributions paid in the past 2 years) or who qualifies for statutory redundancy. It will be paid for the duration of the Jobseeker's Benefit claim entitlement; Allowing persons who previously participated in the BTWEA scheme and exhausted their entitlement after completion of the scheme, to participate a second time after a period of at least 5 years has elapsed. These changes will come into effect from 1st May 2009. The changes will not affect participants who are already on either strand of the back to work allowance at that date.