Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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473. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on the points raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48014/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Community Employment (CE) and Tús and the Back to Education Allowance are part of my Department’s range of programmes and schemes catering for unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. The purpose of all of these schemes is to improve someone’s opportunities of returning to the labour market or getting a job for the first time. Schemes like CE and Tús provide part-time work experience and training opportunities in local communities as a stepping stone back to employment for people on a range of social welfare payments, including those on long-term unemployment payments. However, placements on these schemes are not full-time sustainable jobs.

Participation limits are set on these schemes to allow for the maximum utilisation of places amongst qualifying persons, to ensure the benefit of the work experience placement is available to the widest possible number of jobseekers. In addition, it is generally recognised that there is a greater likelihood of a ‘lock–in’ effect where a scheme is of a longer duration.

The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is a scheme that allows persons in receipt of long-term social welfare payments the opportunity to pursue a course of study and receive income support subject to satisfying a number of conditions.

A BTEA participant whose eligibility is based on jobseekers, transitional jobseekers or one parent family payments who engage in part-time work will be assessed in accordance with the rules of their primary payment. Participants on BTEA can work during the summer months and recommence on the scheme at the beginning of the next academic year once they continue to maintain an entitlement to an underlying scheme. The BTEA conditions were reviewed and updated following a review of all employment and educational supports schemes in 2012 The BTEA was never intended to be an alternative form of funding for people entering or re-entering the third level education system. The student universal support Ireland (SUSI) grant payable by the Department of Education and Skills represents the primary support for persons pursuing education.

With the ongoing welcome reductions in the live register, issues such as the number of places and the criteria for participation on all activation schemes will be kept under review by my Department to ensure the best outcome for participants.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.