Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 313: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person who is on a stamp one permit is entitled to apply for a social welfare payments and or rent allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13623/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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In general, immigration stamp 1 is granted to persons to facilitate their residence while working in the State on foot of a specific permission. Most Stamp 1 holders are persons whose permission to work is obtained through an employment permit. In addition, a number of persons who are not covered by employment permit arrangements but nevertheless permitted to work by the Minister for Justice and Law Reform may be given Stamp 1 (e.g. persons granted business permission by my Department or those on Working Holiday Authorisations).

It is not possible to state the entitlements, outside of the residence and work rights, which a person may have where they hold immigration Stamp 1. Such other entitlements would be a matter for the department or agency concerned and would depend on the individual circumstances of each case.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 314: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if persons who took places in programmes of study under the labour market activation scheme, but whose entitlement to jobseeker's benefit expires during the course of their programme of study and who furthermore may not qualify for jobseeker's allowance, will be allowed to receive jobseeker's benefit for the duration of their course in order to allow them to complete their studies; or if another arrangement will be made for these cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13648/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Social welfare recipients who wish to participate in a course of study under the labour market activation programme can do so under the Department's part-time education option. Unlike the Department's other educational opportunity schemes there are no specific eligibility criteria for availing of this option. This represents a greater degree of flexibility when compared to the Back-to-Education schemes as a person may be of any age and need not be unemployed for a prescribed length of time before commencing a part-time course of education.

The part-time education option was introduced to provide an increased element of flexibility to enable unemployed people to attend part-time courses of education or training and retain their jobseeker's allowance or jobseeker's benefit provided that they continue to satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking employment on an on-going basis. A person whose jobseeker's benefit expires during a course is entitled to apply for jobseeker's allowance. Failure to qualify for job-seeker's allowance would indicate that a person has an income in excess of the means threshold. In these circumstances, it is considered that extending the duration of jobseeker's benefit or other such arrangements in these cases would be inconsistent with the objective of targeting scarce resources at those in greatest need.

The back to education programme will continue to be monitored to ensure that its objectives are being met in the light of the changing economic climate.