Cecilia Keaveney
Question:259 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of students who have applied for the student summer jobs scheme who are under the age requirement. [14910/98]
Written Answers. - Summer Jobs Scheme.
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:260 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the cost of having otherwise qualifying students, who have not reached the age of 18 by 30 August 1998, included on the summer student jobs scheme. [14911/98]
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:261 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review the age requirement for the summer student jobs scheme in view of the fact that there is already an academic institutional requirement. [14912/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 259, 260 and 261 together.
The purpose of the students' summer jobs scheme is to provide income support during the summer holiday period for the less well-off third level students who are disqualified from receiving unemployment assistance and are unable to obtain summer work.
In order to qualify for participation on the scheme, students must first establish an underlying entitlement to unemployment assistance. To do so, they must be 18 years or older and satisfy a means test. Accordingly, any student who will not reach the age of 18 years by 31 August this year cannot be admitted.
The scheme has always been linked to the disqualification for unemployment assistance and this is a fundamental feature of it. The age limit of 18 is a clearly stated condition of the scheme and students under that age do not generally apply. To date only 17 applications have been made in respect of students under 18 and these have had to be disallowed.
It is not possible to say what the cost of removing the lower age limit would be. Such a measure would however change the nature of the scheme and there are no plans for such a change in present circumstances.