Skip to main content
Normal View

Social Welfare Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 May 2014

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Questions (391, 393)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

391. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the total cost of the average Tús place for one year including income support and all other costs such as training fees and materials incurred by her Department and the Exchequer generally and to specify same. [22461/14]

View answer

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

393. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the total cost of the average Gateway place for one year including income support and all other costs such as training fees and materials incurred by her Department and the Exchequer generally and to specify same. [22463/14]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 393 together.

Tús and Gateway are part of a suite of initiatives being offered by the Department which are designed to bridge the gap between unemployment and re-entering the workforce. The provision for Tús in 2014 is €119.6 million with an additional €19.1 million being provided for Gateway. An additional €2 million has been provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (D/CELG) to support Gateway. The level of placements allocated to Tús and Gateway is 7,500 and 3,000 respectively. Tús is maintaining participation at around 7,500 participants subject to natural throughput due to jobseekers leaving and others being recruited to the scheme. The 3,000 placements on Gateway are to be filled by the end of 2014.

The average annual gross cost to the Department of a participant on Tús is estimated at €15,730. This includes a payment to participants of €12,780 and supervisory, implementing body and other support costs of €2,950. The annual costs of Gateway are estimated at €14,404 per participant made up of pay costs of €13,469 and related costs of €935. The higher pay costs on Gateway result from the higher value in the underlying value of jobseeker payments for those recruited to the scheme of €257 per week against €240 for Tús. These costs are expected to align over time as the level of recruitment expands.

With regard to supervision on Gateway, the D/CELG recently sanctioned 150 acting-up allowances for existing staff to support the scheme, at an additional cost of €125,000. That Department has also provided €2m in funding as a contribution towards once-off costs such as health and safety, training for specified tasks and personal protective equipment.

Top
Share