Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 229: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if there is grant or funding available to young persons on jobseeker's benefit who are commencing farm courses beginning in September, to help them with costs involved in doing the courses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17299/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The back to education allowance (BTEA) is one of a range of activation supports and policies with the objective of assisting social welfare recipients to improve their life chances by facilitating access to employment, work experience, education and training. The focus of the back to education allowance scheme is to assist those who are most marginalised and distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system.

A person wishing to pursue BTEA will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment such as jobseekers' benefit for a specified time period, pursuing a full time course of study in a recognised college and progressing in the level of education held by the client with reference to the national framework of qualifications.

For BTEA purposes the course being pursued, including 'farm courses' must be full-time and must lead to a qualification that is:

· recognised by the Department of Education & Skills or,

· has Further Education and Training Awards Council recognition (FETAC) or,

· has Higher Education and Training Awards Council recognition(HETAC).

BTEA is paid at the maximum personal rate of the social welfare payment that qualifies the person and in addition an annual €500 cost of education allowance is payable.

Participants of part-time courses may qualify for the part-time education option (PTEO) available under the jobseeker schemes. The PTEO enables unemployed persons to attend part-time courses of education or training and retain their jobseekers allowance or jobseekers benefit provided they continue to satisfy the conditions of the jobseeker scheme, including being available for and genuinely seeking employment.

Under the PTEO, payment continues for the duration of the jobseeker's claim. A person on jobseeker's benefit who exhausts his/her benefit will have to apply for jobseekers allowance in the normal way. Jobseekers allowance is subject to a means test. Participation under the PTEO does not confer any additional or extended entitlement to a social welfare payment nor are any additional allowances paid in conjunction with it.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 230: To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views regarding welfare allowance in respect of a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17796/11]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 262: To ask the Minister for Social Protection in recognising the important role played by residential rehabilitation programmes in tackling the drugs crisis and that many clients in residential detox centres participate as part of probation and noting one of the objectives of the National Drug Strategy is to encourage problem substance users to engage with, and avail of, rehabilitation services, if her attention has been drawn to the fact that clients of residential services who were on jobseeker's allowance have had their welfare reduced to supplementary welfare allowance and that this has two serious negative implications, namely clients are not eligible for labour market programmes exiting residential because they are not six months on jobseeker's, and the detox centres depend on clients contributions to pay for the facility therefore a cut in social welfare means a serious cut in contributions; her views on this matter and the steps she will take in response of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17296/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 230 together.

The jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker's allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative employment. It is a fundamental qualifying condition for these benefits that a person must be available for full-time work. In general, persons attending full-time residential programmes will not satisfy these criteria.

However, legislative provisions provide that a person is deemed to be available for work on any day in respect of which s/he is participating in a course of rehabilitation training provided by an organisation approved by the Minister for Health and Children for that purpose.

In this context, further information is required regarding the particular circumstances of the cases being raised. In this regard, officials will be in contact with both Deputies to establish the precise details involved so that a full reply may issue as soon as possible.