Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 266: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive the back to education allowance. [32001/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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One of the qualifying conditions for participation in the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is that an applicant must be commencing his/her first year of an approved course of study.

The person concerned sat the third year examinations of his course in May, 2003 but was not successful. He is now re-commencing the third year of his course of study. Consequently, a Deciding Officer has disallowed his back to education allowance claim from 7 September, 2009. A letter informing him of this decision has been issued to him. It is open to him to ask for a review of this decision and he can contact his local Social Welfare Office in this regard.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7. [32008/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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According to the Department's records, the person referred to by the Deputy is in receipt of jobseeker's benefit since 4th November, 2008. He has not made an application under the back to education allowance scheme. On the basis of the information he supplied, he would not satisfy the qualifying criteria for receipt of the back to education allowance as the Master's course he is pursuing is not recognised for the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme.

The objective of the back to education allowance scheme is to equip people on social welfare payments with qualifications that will enable them to obtain employment in the labour market. The scheme covers courses of education from second level to Higher Diploma level in any discipline (level 8 in National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)) and to a Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary and Secondary Teaching, level 9 in NFQ) which add significantly to a person's employability. Other postgraduate qualifications (level 9 or level 10) are not included.

The possession of qualifications at level 9 or above in the NFQ is not regarded as a prerequisite to re-entering the workforce and at present there are no plans to extend the scheme to cover courses at this level. A small number of cases have arisen where a college has admitted a person who holds no third level qualification to a Master's course on the basis of relevant life experience and these cases have been allowed on an exceptional basis. However, the person concerned does not fall into this category as he already holds a primary degree.

This current approach is considered appropriate in the context of targeting scarce resources at those in greatest need. The scheme will continue to be monitored in the light of the changed economic circumstance in order to ensure that it continues to meet its objectives.