Vol. 468 No. 4
706 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons approved in 1996 on the back-to-work scheme and the jobstart scheme; the plans, if any, he has to amalgamate these schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15034/96]
The back-to-work allowance was introduced in September 1993 as an integral part of my Department's programme of initiatives designed to encourage the long-term unemployed to return to the active labour force. This scheme has proved to be a significant success with close to 13,000 persons currently in receipt of the allowance. An independent evaluation of the scheme has just been completed and the final report shows that it is proving to be a success in encouraging the long-term unemployed to leave the live register and return to work. A total of 3,767 persons have been approved so far this year for the scheme.
The jobstart initiative which is aimed at employers was launched by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment at the end of last May. It is too early to provide statistics on the specific take-up rate of this programme.
There are no plans to amalgamate these programmes which are designed to tackle long-term unemployment.
