Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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333. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason he no longer provides back to education allowance payments for students studying outside of the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14805/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is designed primarily to support second chance education. It an educational opportunities scheme for persons in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments wishing to pursue second or third level courses of education in order to improve their employment prospects.

Entitlement to BTEA is conditional on having on-going entitlement to the qualifying scheme payment. The BTEA scheme has been amended in recent years to ensure that the conditions are in line with the qualifying payment. These amendments include no longer approving courses commencing abroad from 2016. This is in line with the rules of social assistance payments which are not payable abroad. However, approval will continue to be granted for courses undertaken in Northern Ireland.

I hope that this clarifies this matter for the Deputy.