Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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492. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person can still claim the pandemic unemployment payment in cases in which they are on the pandemic unemployment payment and seeking to improve their future career prospects by enrolling in a part-time Springboard course; and if not, if they are required to switch to another form of social welfare which may be of a lesser value and as such act as a disincentive. [28343/20]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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504. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if those on the pandemic unemployment payment or similar will be deemed eligible for retraining grants that are ordinarily reserved for those on jobseeker’s allowance rather than have to lose out on money by switching to the latter in view of the unprecedented circumstances due to Covid-19. [28204/20]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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505. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person who commences a part-time Springboard course can still be in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment. [28205/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 492, 504 and 505 together.

My Department’s Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and certain others in receipt of social welfare payments who pursue full-time courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the allowance is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and their prospects of gaining employment.

The BTEA has been extended as part of the July Stimulus in response to Covid-19. Ordinarily a person must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a minimum period before being eligible to apply for the BTEA when pursuing training or education, including SpringBoard. The qualifying period has been waived for people on coming from the PUP. This ensures that those who have lost their employment during the pandemic have immediate access to a range of educational options.

In order to avail of continued financial support while pursuing a full-time course, a person in receipt of the PUP should apply for a jobseeker payment and continue payment on the BTEA to the end of their course. The BTEA is payable at the jobseekers rate.

Where someone in receipt of PUP wishes to pursue part-time study, including part-time SpringBoard, they can continue to receive PUP while they continue to satisfy the conditions of that payment.

Any person seeking to return to education should engage with their local Intreo Centre to assess their options.

I trust this clarifies the issues for the Deputies.