Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding eligibility for a scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15294/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Momentum initiative provides free education and training projects for up to 6,500 long-term unemployed job seekers. The initiative is administered by FÁS and funded by the Department of Education & Skills through the National Training Fund (NTF) and co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). In line with the commitments given in Pathways to Work, eligibility for the Momentum initiative is targeted at the long term unemployed and a participant must meet the following criteria: be unemployed and on the Live Register for 12 months (312 days) or longer and; be in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) or credited contributions for 12 months or longer and; be actively seeking work.

While in general receipt of a one parent family allowance does not satisfy the criteria for this initiative, there is a wide range of other activation supports available to those in receipt of this payment. It should also be noted that the Momentum initiative only represents a small percentage of the over 450,000 state-funded places provided in 2012 in further education, higher education and training, namely: 75,000 FÁS training places in 2012; 180,000 Further Education places 162,000 full-time Higher Education places, through Universities and Institutes of Technology across the country; Over 40,000 training places through Skillnets, including 8,000 for the unemployed, in partnership with private employers; Over 6,000 Springboard, free part-time higher education, places in 2012, with additional places to be announced for this year.

Eligibility for accessing many of these interventions is not contingent on receipt of a social welfare payment or signing for credited contributions. Extension of the initiative to those not associated with the Live Register is not being considered given the current size and construct of the Live Register, in particular the numbers of people who are now long-term unemployed.