Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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410. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reinstating the Solas training allowance. [19270/15]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The payment of an additional training allowance of €31.80 per week for the long term unemployed was introduced during a period of high employment levels as an incentive for the long term unemployed to participate in former-FÁS training courses and VTOS courses. The payment of this allowance was later extended to those persons in receipt of social welfare disability payments to introduce equality of treatment for all people in training.

The payment was reduced from €31.80 per week to €20 per week as part of Budget 2011 and as part of Budget 2014 it was decided to cease this payment for all SOLAS participants commencing courses after 1st January 2014.

The cost of re-instating this long term bonus payment is estimated at €6.7 million in a full year.