Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 234: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason the back to education allowance does not cover participants in the labour market activation programme; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that participants who start the course in receipt of jobseeker's benefit but who subsequently move to jobseeker's allowance at a reduced rate are faced with financial hardship, particularly where they have dependants; and if she will review the terms of the scheme. [43809/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department's back to education programme includes the back to education allowance (BTEA) and the part-time education option (PTEO). The back to education allowance is a second chance educational opportunities scheme for people on welfare payments who wish to participate in full time education and who would not otherwise be able to do so.

In a joint initiative announced earlier this year between the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority, 1,500 part-time undergraduate places and 1,000 part-time postgraduate places are being provided to people who are unemployed and on the live register for at least 6 months or have an entitlement to statutory redundancy.

A jobseeker who wishes to participate in a part-time course may do so under the Department's part-time education option (PTEO). Participants may continue to receive their existing social welfare entitlements provided they continue to satisfy all the existing terms and conditions of their jobseeker scheme including availability for work. Approval to undertake a course must be obtained in advance from the local social welfare office.

Participation in a part-time course does not attract any increase in the rate of payment or any extension of the payment period. A participant whose entitlement to jobseeker's benefit ceases during the period on the course is eligible to apply for jobseeker's allowance. Someone who qualifies for that allowance at reduced rate would have assessable means. In such a case, the combination of the assessable means and the reduced rate of jobseeker's allowance would normally exceed the rate payable to a participant who qualifies for maximum rate.