I propose to take Questions Nos. 354 to 357, inclusive, together.
The information requested by the Deputy in respect of unemployment duration prior to commencement on the back to education allowance is not available. I am however informed that there were a total 24,914 recipients of the allowance at the 31st of January 2013 of which 6,585 were young persons under the age of 25 years.
A breakdown of the number of under 25’s by qualification level is contained in the following tabular table.
Number of Recipients of Back to Education Allowance at end of January, 2013
|
Total Recipients
|
Under 25 years
|
Under 25 year olds as a percentage of Total Recipients
|
Second Level Qualification
|
8,717
|
3,715
|
42.6%
|
Third Level Qualification
|
16,197
|
2,870
|
17.7%
|
Back to Education Allowance
|
24,914
|
6,585
|
26.4%
|