Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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377. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the qualifying criteria for back to education allowance; if a person who has previously received the allowance may reapply if undertaking studies at the same level as when previously receiving the allowance; if certified illness will be considered in the circumstance whereby illness prevented an applicant from completing their initial course while on the allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31050/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Back to education allowance (BTEA) is an education scheme for people in receipt of certain social welfare payments who wish to pursue a full-time second level or third level course of education.

A person wishing to pursue BTEA will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified time period, commencing a full-time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college. In general, the person must be commencing the first year of an approved full-time course and progressing in the level of education held with reference to the national framework of qualifications among others.

The BTEA eligibility has been extended for the forthcoming academic year to include applicants who already hold a level 5 or 6 qualification under the national framework of qualifications and who satisfy all the other scheme eligibity criteria.

To qualify an applicant, in general, must be 21 years of age before the start date of an approved course of study (or between 18 and 21years of age and out of formal education for at least 2 years) or at least 24 years of age for an approved postgraduate course. Participation may also be permitted at age 18 or over where the applicant is in receipt of an illness related payments.

All applicants must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for at least 3 months for second level option, 9 months for courses at level 7 or level 8 and 12 months if pursuing a professional masters in education (PME). Full details of the qualifying payments are available on the website.

Persons awarded statutory redundancy may access the scheme immediately, provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established immediately prior to commencing an approved course of study.

A BTEA participant who fails to complete, or drops out of a course will not be permitted on to the scheme to pursue a different course unless the Department is satisfied that certain circumstances pertain. The condition may be waived where there are mitigating circumstances such as illness, for which evidence must be provided, that would make it unreasonable to expect a person to have continued the course.