Vol. 478 No. 4
191 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 was refused the back to work scheme in view of the fact that he was on unemployment assistance for around three years and then on disability benefit. [11145/97]
The objective of the back to work allowance scheme is to provide an incentive to long-term unemployed people to return to the active labour force in circumstances where they would not otherwise be in a position to do so immediately.To qualify for the allowance a person must be in receipt of an unemployment payment prior to applying for the allowance and for a specified period, normally 12 months, prior to that. It is also a condition that the work being offered is new and that application is made prior to taking up the employment. It is designed to support people who would not otherwise be able to return to the workforce, and not those who are in a position to leave the live register of their own accord.
The person concerned, having been in receipt of unemployment assistance from May 1995, claimed disability benefit from 28 October 1996. He took up employment on 20 February 1997 and applied for back to work allowance on 28 March 1997.
His application was refused on the grounds that he was not in receipt of unemployment assistance immediately prior to taking up the job. To accept the application would not be in accordance with the intentions of the scheme, in that it would involve supporting a job already in existence at the time of applying.
