Vol. 573 No. 2
185 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been refused the back to education allowance on the grounds that they have done a four-year BA course while those who qualified on foot of a three-year BA course qualified for an MA and will be catered for through the BTE allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24754/03]
The conditions for entitlement to BTE allowance were revised with effect from 1 January. From that date the scheme does not apply to certain full-time postgraduate courses. Those wishing to take up a higher diploma in all disciplines or graduate diploma in primary school teaching were not affected by these changes.
The length of time taken to acquire a primary degree is not considered in determining a claim for the allowance in respect of a postgraduate course. Specifically, it is not the case that a person who undertook a three-year BA course would receive the allowance while pursuing an MA while a person who undertook a four-year BA course would not.
I revised the conditions of the scheme because it needed to be refocused towards people who most need additional training or qualifications in order to gain a foothold in the labour market. People with a primary degree are already in possession of a third level qualification and their academic qualifications should impact positively on their employment prospects.
The person concerned was a participant in the scheme from September 1999 to May 2003 while pursuing a four year primary degree. In September 2003 he applied for further participation in the scheme in order to pursue a postgraduate qualification. The course he now intends to pursue is outside the revised scope of the scheme and his application was disallowed. The person concerned has already achieved a high level of academic attainment while participating in the scheme and his prospects of securing employment have been greatly enhanced.
In a time of financial constraint I must ensure that supports are directed at those with the most pressing needs. Limited resources must continue to be aimed at those in most need and who are most distant from the labour market.
