Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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187. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person who works 20 hours per week or less and is not in receipt of any social protection payments cannot access funding to complete a security course, whereas if they were unemployed, they would be eligible for funding; her views that this is incentivising persons to continue in unemployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2265/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Given the scale of unemployment, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives has been to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by the Department – including some limited support for payment of fees on training courses – are focused, in the first instance, on the cohort of people who are unemployed and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. There are no plans to make changes to these arrangements at present.

These restrictions also apply to the payment of training allowances, by SOLAS, for unemployed people undertaking training courses provided by that organisation. Other categories of jobseeker may be eligible to undertake such courses, but will not be paid a training allowance (which is generally set at the same level as the trainee’s prior welfare payment).