Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 16 is eligible for the spring board programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43583/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Springboard is a specific initiative that strategically targets funding of free part time higher education courses for unemployed people in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities.

To be eligible for a place on a Springboard course a person must be unemployed, actively seeking employment, and be in receipt of one of the qualifying payments from the Department of Social Protection or be signing for credits or be previously self employed. A person in employment at the time a Springboard course commences is not eligible for support under the scheme.

Students who wish to undertake higher education courses of study on a part time basis outside of the Springboard programme may be eligible for tax relief on their tuition fees. Information on available tax reliefs for tuition fees can be accessed on www.revenue.ie. It is also open to any individual to apply for a place on a full time undergraduate or postgraduate programme in the publicly funded higher education sector and, depending on their previous level of educational attainment and personal circumstances, they may be eligible for support under the Free Fees Scheme or the Student Grant Scheme. Full details of the supports available to students who wish to return to education are available at www.studentfinance.ie.

The person in question may also wish to consider contacting her local FAS Employment Services Office to discuss the possible training and further education options available to her. In addition she may wish to consider contacting Skillnets who provide training opportunities to unemployed people as well as those in employment. Further information is available on www.skillnets.ie.