Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 437: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to cut or reform child benefit in the forthcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39136/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 447: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will ensure that the budget for family income supplement for 2011is adequate to meet requirements in the emerging economic situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39197/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 451: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will ensure that the budget for 2011 in respect of child benefit is adequate to meet the likely requirements having particular regard to the trend emerging from previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39201/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 437, 447 and 451 together.

Child income support payments to all families with children have risen in the period since 1997. Spending on Child Benefit increased from €506 million in 1997 to almost €2.5 billion in 2009 while spending on the Family Income Supplement increased from €33 million to €167 million over the same time period. The Government is proud to have been able to direct such substantial increases in financial support to all Irish families in recent years.

However, in the current economic environment, it is necessary to address all aspects of the public finances so as to ensure that they are sustainable and to ensure that fairness exists in the allocation of resources. Clearly social welfare spending and specifically Child Benefit, is a very significant part of overall government spending Social welfare expenditure for 2011, including expenditure on Family Income Supplement and Child Benefit, is currently being considered in the context of the preparation of the departmental estimates for that year. Data on the amounts to be provided for the two schemes in question will be published on Budget Day. Any plans to change the conditions for the Child Benefit payment is a matter to be decided in a budgetary context.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 439: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on the necessity to ease the qualification regulations for back to education allowance in view of the urgent necessity to encourage persons who find themselves unemployed back to education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39188/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme 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.

Changes have been introduced to BTEA to increase flexibility in terms of qualifying for the scheme, with some practical changes to its qualifying conditions coming into effect from 19th July 2010.

Previously, a person who wished to take up a third level course of education could do so after getting a jobseeker or other relevant social welfare payment for 12 months, or 9 months, only if approved by a facilitator of the Department. Since 19th July this period has been set at 9 months for all applicants who are attending third level education (a 2 year qualifying period continues to apply to participants coming from Illness Benefit). 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.

Prior to July, a person could only apply for BTEA in respect of a third level course if s/he was commencing year one of the course. Since 19th July, a person can avail of BTEA where s/he previously did not complete his/her course and is returning to the second or subsequent year of the third level course. This also applies to people who are granted an exemption from a period of their third level course.

A person who completed earlier year(s) of his/her third level course on a part-time basis but is now getting a jobseeker's payment, may apply for BTEA to continue the course on a full-time basis.

The back to education allowance has an important role to play in enhancing the employability skills of jobseekers. The conditionality of the scheme will continue to be monitored in the context of the objectives of the scheme and changes in the economic climate.