Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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79. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment will be included as a qualifying payment for the back to education allowance. [18481/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level.  The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of gaining employment.

During the course of the roadmap to recovery, we are seeing many people in receipt of the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment returning to employment.  This is expected to continue up to the commencement of the 2020/21 academic year. 

As part of the July stimulus package, the Government has announced an extension of the BTEA supports to recipients of pandemic unemployment payment.  At the point of commencement of a new course of education a person in receipt of this payment will be required to establish an entitlement to a jobseekers payment and transfer to the BTEA.

A potential BTEA customer will not be adversely affected by time spent in receipt of the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment when it comes to qualifying for the BTEA. 

I trust this clarifies the matter.