Liz McManus
Question:52 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he will grant those people on social employment schemes the Christmas bonus to which they would be entitled if they were receiving unemployment assistance.
Written Answers. - Social Employment Scheme Bonus.
The matter is currently under consideration, the fundamental problem being that there are no funds available to me to pay the Christmas bonus to social employment schemes — SES — participants.
I have also to bear in mind that the level of payments to participants on the SES is pitched above that to which such persons would be entitled had they remained on the Live Register. Accordingly, persons on the scheme are compensated for the loss of the extra benefits such as the Christmas bonus to which they might be entitled had they remained in receipt of social welfare payments.
A participant on the SES is paid a basic allowance of £77 per week compared with £59.20 per week on unemployment assistance. A participant with one adult and three child dependants gets £149.10 on the SES compared with £133.10 in unemployment assistance.