Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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89. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a back to education application was not processed for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31063/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned made a claim to illness benefit from 5 Aug 2016. Illness benefit is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. One of the conditions is that a person have a minimum of 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the tax year governing the claim. Claims made in 2016 are governed by the 2014 tax year, According to my Department’s records the person concerned has no reckonable contributions in 2014 and, therefore, they do not qualify for payment of illness benefit at this time.

The back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for people who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments for a specified period and who wish to pursue second or third level courses of education.

To qualify for BTEA illness benefit customers must be getting their payment for two years or more. A combination of illness benefit and another qualifying payment may be used to satisfy the two years rule. One year, however, must be in respect of illness benefit.

The person concerned made an application to participate in the BTEA scheme which was refused on the grounds that they were not in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare payment for the required two years.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.