Vol. 513 No. 2
15 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if asylum seekers, who have been residing here for more than one year and have an entitlement to work, will qualify for social welfare employment schemes, including the back to work allowance and family income supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1902/00]
Asylum seekers who applied for asylum before 26 July 1999 and who have completed 12 months in the asylum process but whose cases have not been decided, are eligible to seek employment. They are therefore eligible for unemployment assistance if they fulfil the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work and if their means are below the qualifying limit.
The people involved, who have not found employment, have been in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance and are now in the process of being transferred, where appropriate, to unemployment assistance. They may qualify for back to work allowance provided that they satisfy the conditions of the scheme.
In order to qualify for the back to work allowance, applicants must be in receipt of an unemployment payment for at least 12 months. Recipients of one-parent family allowance, disability allowance, blind person's pension or carer's allowance can also qualify subject to the same condition.
Family income supplement is a weekly employment support payment for families who are in employment and on low incomes. Once entitlement has been established and provided the person remains in full-time remunerative employment, payment continues for 52 weeks.
Asylum seekers can be paid family income supplement provided, as applies to all applicants, they satisfy all of the qualifying conditions for receipt of the supplement.
