A person wishing to pursue a course of study under the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme must satisfy a number of conditions. These include age, being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specific period, be pursuing a full-time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and be progressing in the level of education with reference to the National Framework of Qualifications, among others.
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. A person awarded statutory redundancy may access BTEA immediately, provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established.
The BTEA confers entitlement to income support for an extended period while in full-time education. There are no plans at present to modify the existing BTEA qualifying criteria for persons who are not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for the required duration.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.