Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 345: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the entitlements to education, training and work experience recipients of lone parents allowance have; if further entitlements are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26659/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department offers a range of training opportunities and employment support services that are designed to encourage and to support social welfare recipients of working age, including lone parents, to reduce their dependency on social welfare payments, to improve their qualifications and skills base, and to return to work. The relevant supports for which lone parents can apply are:

· Community Employment (CE);

· the Back-to-Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWA) scheme;

· the Back-to-Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme;

· the Job Club programme;

· the Rural Social Scheme (RSS), and

· the JobBridge national internship scheme.

In addition, the Department of Education and Skills will support some 457,400 training and education places in 2012. Lone parents are eligible to apply for these supports through:

· FÁS training provision,

· the Vocational Training and Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), and

· Springboard.

My Department liaises with the Department of Education and Skills on an ongoing basis in relation to ensuring the appropriateness of activation supports for social welfare recipients of working age, including lone parents.