Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason the back to education allowance programme requires the applicants to be on jobseeker's payment for more than nine months consecutively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31140/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is a second chance education opportunities scheme. As such its function is to facilitate persons who, earlier in their life, could not fully avail of educational opportunities now access further education. Qualification criteria are required to ensure that the allowance does not, of itself, become a factor for signing-on the Live Register in the first place.

Currently the period for which a person is required to be on a qualifying social welfare payment before accessing the third level option is 9 months (234 days); this was reduced from 12 months in 2010. Persons in receipt of a statutory redundancy payment may be in a position to access BTEA more quickly.

Periods spent on qualifying social welfare payments, which are not broken by more than 12 months (52 weeks), may be used in determining if an applicant satisfies the qualifying period criteria. I believe an official from my Department has been in contact with you in relation to the specific query attached to your question.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, MIS, the number in positive equity; the number in negative equity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31142/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Since 2005 mortgage interest supplement expenditure has increased from €6.3 million to €66 million in 2010. The budget for 2011 is €77m. The number of households claiming the allowance has increased from 3,200 at the end of 2005 to over 18,700 at the end of September 2011. This represents a 480% increase in the number of households receiving support.

My Department has no information on the number of households in receipt of mortgage interest supplement who are in positive or negative equity.

Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 283: To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive compensation to help them re-locate after flooding damage to their house in 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31168/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government has provided various types of support to people affected by the November 2009 flooding. Humanitarian Aid payments were made, both in the immediate aftermath of the flooding and subsequently to enable eligible households to resume living at their home. Flood relief works were also undertaken in some of the affected areas and other works are at an advanced state of preparation. Discussions also took place with representatives of the insurance industry regarding giving households access to appropriate house insurance at a reasonable cost.

Subject to certain conditions the Government also decided to provide support to a small number of families who are continuing to experience significant housing problems as a result of the November 2009 flooding and are considering the possibility of relocating rather than resuming living at their original home.

The household of the persons concerned has been visited by an official from the Department and a report of their circumstances has been completed. The Department has received a report from the Office of Public Works in relation to the house of the person concerned and expects to be in a position to make a decision on the case shortly.