Vol. 541 No. 2
787 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if there is a restriction on the payment of rent allowances to lone parents who are in receipt of the lone parent's allowance and studying at third-level colleges. [21369/01]
Under section 172(1) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993, people in full-time education are not eligible to receive assistance, including rent supplements, under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.
However, Article 7 of S.I. 382 of 1995 provides for a number of exceptions to this exclusion. Persons participating in approved courses under the back to education allowance scheme receive a standard weekly rate of payment equivalent to the maximum rate of their relevant social welfare payment and may retain any secondary benefits, such as rent supplements, which may have been in payment prior to participating on the scheme.
The back to education allowance scheme is a second chance educational opportunities programme designed to encourage and facilitate certain groups including lone parents who are receiving social welfare payments to improve their skills and qualifications and, therefore, their prospects of returning to the active work force. To qualify for participation an applicant must be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for at least 6 months and be at least 21 years of age or 18 years of age for recipients of blind person's pension and disability allowance.
The review of the one-parent family payment published in September 2000 highlighted the poor standard of education of this group with early school leaving a particular problem. To encourage and assist them to return to the school system I introduced changes in budget 2001 to the back to education scheme. From this year a lower qualifying age limit of 18 years will apply to recipients of the one-parent family allowance who have been on the payment for at least six months and who have been out of the educational system for two years.
