Vol. 531 No. 3
41 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people who took up the back to work allowance scheme in 2000; the number of people who took up the scheme in 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5723/01]
The back to work allowance, introduced in 1993, is designed to encourage the long-term unemployed to return to the active labour force, either through employment or self-employment.
The scheme has been highly successful since its introduction and to date over 75,000 people have participated. There are more than 38,000 current participants in the scheme, approximately half of whom are engaged in a wide range of self employment options. The number of new claimants in 1999 was 12,784 and last year there were some 9,935 new claimants. Numbers participating in the scheme in 2000 were lower than anticipated. This is largely due to the significant drop in the number of long-term unemployed, at whom the scheme is primarily targeted, and the greater opportunities for unemployed people to return to work without the need for the additional support which the scheme provides.
