Mark Wall
Question:111. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person in County Kildare (details supplied) was refused back to education allowance. [69184/26]
View answerWednesday, 30 September 2026
Questions (111)
Written answers
My Department administers the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), which provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of qualifying social welfare payments who undertake full-time courses of education at Further or Higher Level. The focus of the scheme is to assist people to improve their qualifications and as a result, improve their access to sustainable employment.
To qualify for BTEA, a person must satisfy a number of conditions, including the relevant age requirement, receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for the required period, and commencement of the first year of an eligible full-time course of study.
The person concerned applied for BTEA, but their application was disallowed on the basis that they had already completed the first year of the course before applying for the allowance and therefore did not meet the requirement to be commencing the first year of the course. In addition, the person did not meet the applicable age requirement for BTEA.
An official from my Department has contacted the person concerned to discuss their circumstances and to explore the options available to them.
The Higher Education Authority provides information on alternative sources of financial support that may be available to students, including Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Eligibility for SUSI support is subject to its own criteria.