Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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651. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the criteria used to determine if a recently unemployed person can avail of the various back to education schemes and retain their jobseeker’s payments; if a person recently made redundant can avail of these schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21566/21]

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 who pursue courses of education at second or third level.  My Department has a provision of €96.5m in supports under the BTEA for 2021.

A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the BTEA scheme has to satisfy a number of conditions, including being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specified time period, pursuing a full-time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and progressing in the level of education.

The qualifying period for the second-level option is three months while the qualifying period for third-level courses is nine months prior to the date of commencement of the course.  This qualifying period has been waived for people coming from the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.  A person awarded statutory redundancy may access BTEA immediately, provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established.

Any person planning to undertake an education course should engage with their local Intreo Centre to assess the options available to them.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.