Vol. 470 No. 4
250 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social Welfare the steps, if any, which will be taken to have students included on the students summer jobs scheme in 1997 instead of having them forced to seek unemployment assistance; and his views on the reasoning that people are better on unemployment assistance rather than working on a student scheme. [19296/96]
The underlying purpose of the students summer jobs scheme is to provide income support for less well-off third level students who are unable to find work and who are disqualified from claiming unemployment assistance during the summer months. The scheme was never intended for students who having failed to find work are entitled to claim unemployment assistance. In my view the scheme offers a very worthwhile opportunity for students and is a very appropriate way of providing financial assistance to the targetted students during this period.
