asked the Minister for Labour if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty in obtaining suitable workers in some areas for the social employment scheme; and if he will amend the rule whereby a person who has been employed for a period of the year with the social employment scheme has to go back for a full 12 months on unemployment assistance-benefit before becoming eligible for work with the social employment scheme again; and if he will reduce this waiting period to 13 weeks as applies in many other places of the social welfare code.
Written Answers. - Social Employment Scheme.
77.
The social employment scheme is targeted at persons over 25 years who are long-term unemployed, with the aim of assisting them to regain a foothold in the labour market. It is the major labour market intervention to assist the long-term unemployed. Accordingly, it would be inconsistent with the objective of the scheme if it were opened up to short-term unemployed persons on any significant scale.