Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 107: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if it his policy to ease the qualifying criteria for back to education allowance in 2010 in view of statements (details supplied); and if he will provide details of the changes envisaged. [15379/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Since its introduction, the primary objective of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme is to help those in receipt of a social welfare payment to improve their employability and job-readiness by acquiring additional educational qualifications. It is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling eligible people on social welfare to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held.

Payment under the scheme covers the relevant academic year and the scheme caters for approved courses where the starting date is not aligned to the standard academic year. The Back to Education Allowance scheme covers full-time courses of education from second level to higher diploma level in any discipline and to a graduate diploma in education.

Changes to provide for earlier access to the scheme were announced in the April 2009 Supplementary Budget. In order to qualify for participation an applicant must 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. A two year qualifying period applies to participants coming from Illness Benefit.

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.

The Government has devoted significant resources to the Back to Education Allowance scheme. €519m has been allocated over the lifetime of the National Development Plan 2007-13. In 2009, expenditure on the scheme was €107.3 million. The number of participants increased significantly in 2009. A total of 21,096 participants were availing of the scheme at the end of March 2010 which is 81% higher than the 11,646 recorded at the end of 2008/09 academic year.

The potential for further changes in certain areas was identified by my predecessor to the Oireachtas Committee on Social Welfare. These concerned duration, access to post-graduate courses, appropriateness of courses and progression. The final shape and scope of such changes are currently under consideration.

The Back to Education Allowance scheme has an important role to play in enhancing the employability skills of jobseekers. The nature and structure of the scheme will continue to be monitored in the context of the objectives of the scheme and changes in the economic climate.