The Deputy will be aware that eligibility for a social welfare payment and the rules applying to that payment are a matter in the first instance for the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.
I assume the Deputy is referring here to the introduction by the previous Government in the Social Welfare Act, 1996 of class A PRSI rates for community employment participants. This puts community employment participants on a par with insured workers and its introduction was, I understand, strongly supported by the INOU and scheme workers themselves.
One consequence of this change is that community employment participants now have an entitlement to an insurance-based unemployment payment if, on completion of their time on a scheme, they return to the live register rather than taking up a job or a training place. They qualify for unemployment benefit rather than unemployment assistance as had been the case hitherto. Unemployment benefit is not meanstested but as a short-term payment it does not carry entitlement to the social welfare secondary benefits of free fuel, butter vouchers and Christmas bonus.
I would indeed be concerned if this policy change by the previous Government was acting as a disincentive to participation in community employment but FÁS informs me that demand for community employment on the part of those eligible to participate remains strong.
