Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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61. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6 qualifies for a back to education allowance in lieu of a jobseeker's allowance, in view of the fact that the person is in full-time education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6583/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned was claiming jobseeker’s allowance at the Social Welfare Local Office in Clondalkin from 30^thSeptember 2011 until 22^ndJuly 2014. Her claim was closed as a result of her not providing information which had been requested by the office with regard to her means. The person concerned then commenced a full-time college course of her own accord in September 2014. Subsequently she made a new claim in Clondalkin for jobseeker’s allowance on 3^rdNovember 2014; this claim was disallowed because she was unavailable for employment as she was in full-time education. The person concerned then moved address and made a further claim for jobseeker’s allowance on 10^thDecember 2014 at the Intreo Centre in Bishop’s Square which was also disallowed on the same grounds.

An application for back to education allowance (BTEA) was submitted by the person concerned to the Intreo Centre in January 2015. The qualifying conditions for BTEA for second level courses stipulate that an applicant must have been in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for at least three months (78 days) prior to the commencement date of the first year of the course. As the person concerned was not in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment immediately prior to the commencement date of her course in September 2014, her application for BTEA cannot be approved.