Written Answers. - Employment Support Services.
Jan O'Sullivan
Question:
19
Ms O'Sullivan
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if he will outline any further proposals he has with regard to working towards full employment for unemployed people with disabilities in view of the lack of progress in this area.
[15296/01]
Willie Penrose
Question:
41
Mr. Penrose
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the part his Department has taken in recent moves to rehabilitate ex-offenders and recovering substance misusers into the workforce and general society.
[15305/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 41 together.
Under my Department's employment support services there is a range of schemes which are designed to assist and encourage the long-term unemployed and other welfare recipients who are experiencing difficulties in accessing employment or getting back to the active workforce, to return to work, training or further education.
My Department also actively co-operates with other relevant agencies in seeking to assist in the reintegration of people into employment. The back to work allowance scheme is designed to encourage long-term unemployed people, lone parents and certain persons with disabilities to return to work by allowing them to retain part of their social welfare payment when they take up employment or self-employment. People in receipt of disability allowance, blind person's pension, invalidity pension and unemployability supplement can access this scheme and, to date, over 850 of them have returned to the workforce in this way.
In addition, my Department is currently preparing a pilot scheme targeted at those who have been in receipt of disability benefit for more than five years. Some 200 places on the back to work allowance scheme are being set aside for this specific group.
I am also conscious of the difficulties which ex-prisoners and substance misusers can face when attempting to get a foothold in the workforce. In order to assist ex-prisoners to reintegrate into the community, periods spent in prison can be taken into account in order to facilitate access to the back to work allowance scheme. The back to work allowance scheme has been highly successful since its introduction and to date over 80,000 people, the vast majority of whom were previously long-term unemployed, have taken part in the scheme. Currently there are over 37,000 participants in the scheme, approximately half of whom are engaged in a wide range of self-employment options.
The second pillar of my Department's employment support service is the back to education allowance programme. This is a second chance educational opportunities programme designed to encourage and facilitate unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities to improve their skills and qualifications with a view to returning to the workforce. Courses covered under the scheme range from second level through to third level postgraduate courses of study.
In cases where a person's choice of course falls outside the realm of formal second and third level courses for which the back to education allowance is payable, there are provisions to allow disabled people with disabilities and others to attend approved courses of education, training and development. Participants on these courses may continue to receive their social welfare payments for the duration of the course. In order to assist ex-prisoners who may wish to enter or re-enter the education system, periods spent in prison can be taken into account to satisfy the eligibility criteria for this scheme.
The final pillar of the employment support service consists of the Department's locally based jobs facilitators. Their primary role is to assist the long-term unemployed and other long-term welfare dependants back to work, training or further education by providing them on an individual basis with assistance to access the necessary programmes or supports which their circumstances demand.
The Department's employment support programmes and other supports for people seeking to get back to the workforce are kept under review in the light of emerging needs and of the range of supports and interventions available through other State agencies for the categories of people involved.
