The State has spent over €28,000 on driving lessons for non-EEA nationals and international protection applicants since 2021 to address an “immediate skills gap,” Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary has confirmed.
In a written parliamentary response to Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín on July 28th, the Fianna Fáil Minister said that the funding was provided to individuals as part of a non-repayable grant.
Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín had asked the Minister for the number of applicants who received employment activation supports that included driving lessons, as well as the names of the organisations funded.
Describing the scheme’s purpose, Calleary noted that it targets individuals facing barriers to entering the workforce.
“The Training Support Grant is a non-repayable grant, designed to support quick access to short-term training where the training is not delivered by a state provider,” he said.
“The grant can be provided to individuals where an immediate skills gap is identified that represents an obstacle to taking up a job offer or accessing other opportunities.”
Elaborating on the specific supports for learner drivers, the Minister stated that funding is given directly to the trainers upon course completion.
“Under the Training Support Grant a contribution of up to €250 can be awarded for Essential Driver Training, which refers to training course teaching and fundamental driving skills to learner car drivers’ B licence,” he continued.
“There is no qualifying period to access this grant, and the support is available to all Jobseekers. The grant payment is paid directly to the training provider or organisation on completion of the course.”
Outlining the grant’s availability, Calleary stated that it is open to those looking to enter the workforce from other payment brackets.
“While the primary focus of the scheme is on jobseekers and on supporting the activation policy of the Department, the grant is also available for individuals in receipt of other qualifying payments, who may be looking to up-skill when seeking employment,” he remarked.
“There is no qualifying period to access this grant, apart from Illness Benefit… you must be in receipt of Illness Benefit for a minimum of 6 months to be eligible for the Training Support Grant.”
Responding to Tóibín’s request for a list of funded organisations, Calleary explained that his department could not provide a detailed breakdown at this time.
“The Department is unable to provide a list of the individual training providers and the amount paid per organisation within the timeframe of a PQ response,” he stated.
“The overall estimated expenditure on B Licence Driving Interventions for Non-EEA Nationals and International Protection Applicants is included in the table below. The estimate assumes each intervention was awarded the maximum €250.”
According to the data provided by the Minister, 85 non-EEA nationals and 29 international protection applicants have received the driving interventions since 2021.
This amounted to an estimated total cost of €28,500 over the past five and a half years, with 2023 seeing the highest expenditure of €9,250.
The figures for beneficiaries of temporary protection, which largely includes Ukrainian refugees, were not segregated from the overall non-EEA national data.
The Training Support Grant remains a key component of the Department of Social Protection’s activation policy, aimed at assisting individuals in transitioning from welfare to work.
The scheme covers various short-term training courses that can immediately boost a jobseeker’s employability, bridging specific skills gaps identified by case officers.