Written answers
Wednesday, 3 June 2020
Department of Education and Skills
Education and Training Boards
Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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235. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the issue of some educational training boards seeking recoupment of overpaid food and travel allowances during the lockdown period from their students; the reason ETBs are requesting this refund in view of the precedent that exists for food and travel allowances to be paid to students whether they are on or off campus and the difficulties faced by many students during the ongoing crisis; the measures he is taking to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8936/20]
John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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Circular 23 /2020 was issued by my Department in March 2020 to guide learner payments during the period of restrictions as a result of the pandemic. While training allowances continue to be paid to learners until they can complete their course, additional payments that assist in the cost of actual attendance on training courses and / or work experience such as travel and meals are only paid when they are incurred. Therefore they would not generally apply when centres are closed. Where overpayments do occur, the Education Training Boards treats the overpayment as a debt to the Exchequer and seeks to ensure that all such payments are recovered from the learner.
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