John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the measures which have been put in place by her to incentivise people in employment action plan areas who received redundancy to take up the back to education allowance in view of the increasing unemployment figures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23350/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) all persons between the ages of 18 and 65 years who are approaching 3 months on the Live Register are identified by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and referred to FÁS for interview with a view to availing of a range of employment, training and educational options. The NEAP is not confined to particular geographical areas.

The back to education allowance is designed to facilitate people of working age on welfare payments to return to education in order to gain qualifications which will help to enhance their employment prospects. The main incentives for jobseekers to avail of the scheme are that it exempts them from the requirement to be available for work while participating in an approved course of education and, in addition, an annual €500 cost of education allowance is payable. Participants may continue to receive any secondary benefits to which they have been entitled.

Changes to provide for earlier access to the scheme were announced in the recent supplementary budget. In order to qualify for participation an applicant must now be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for 3 months if pursuing a second level course or 12 months if pursuing a third level course. The qualifying period for access to third level courses is reduced to 9 months for those who are participating in the National Employment Action Plan process or engaging with the Department's facilitator programme. 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.

Each claimant for a jobseeker's payment is given information when they make their claim that, among other things, lists the range of employment support services operated by the department. This includes the back to education allowance scheme. The relevant information and booklets are also available in each of the department's local offices. Information on the range of employment supports is also available on the Department's website.

Jobseeker claimants are also advised about the department's facilitator service which is available to help them explore the range of work and educational options available.

In May, 2009, the department issued an information leaflet to all people under 25 who were more than 3 months on the live register to advise them of the education supports available.

The government has devoted significant resources to the back to education allowance over the years. In view of its important role in enhancing the employability skills of jobseekers, the scheme will continue to be monitored in the context of the objectives of the scheme and changes in the economic climate.