As advised in the reply to the Deputy’s recent question in this matter, Question No. 45 of 14 April 2016, the person concerned is currently participating in the part-time job initiative (PTJI) scheme. The PTJI scheme is intended as a stepping stone to full-time work. It allows certain long-term unemployed people to take up part-time work and get a special weekly allowance instead of their jobseeker's payment. A person is not placed on PTJI by the Department. They secure the part-time work themselves and then contact their local Intreo Centre in order to apply to participate in the PTJI scheme.
On 6 January 2016, a rent supplement review was carried out which showed the combined weekly income of the person, less income disregards, less supplementary welfare rate for a couple and with the addition of the minimum rent supplement contribution yielded a weekly available contribution of €197.25 per week towards the rent. The rent charged equated to €115.30 per week and therefore their weekly available contribution exceeded that of the rent thus giving a nil entitlement to rent supplement.
A further review carried out on 26 February 2016 confirmed that the person’s available financial contribution still exceeded the weekly rent and that there was no entitlement to rent supplement. It remains open for the person concerned to submit an appeal against this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
A Designated Person administers supplementary welfare allowance including exceptional needs payments (ENP's). An ENP covers essential, once-off exceptional spending that one could not reasonably be expected to meet out of weekly income. ENP's cannot be used to replace another social welfare payment in this case rent supplement.
In line with other EU and OECD jurisdictions where such measures are common, reduced rates for younger jobseeker's allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009 and extended in subsequent Budgets. A weekly jobseeker's allowance rate of €100 applies to jobseekers aged 18-24 and a weekly rate of €144 applies to jobseekers who are 25 years of age.
It is not discriminatory but rather a targeted measure aimed at protecting young people from welfare dependency by incentivising them to avail of education and training opportunities. If a jobseeker in receipt of the reduced jobseeker's allowance rate participates on an education or training programme they will receive a higher weekly payment of €160.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
