Robert Troy
Question:43. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the processing times and criteria for persons availing of community employment schemes and Tús as a matter of urgency. [28796/16]
View answerThursday, 6 October 2016
Questions (43)
Written answers
Participants for Tús are selected by my Department from those in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment for 12 months or more. They are informed that they have been selected for the programme and their contact details are sent to the relevant Implementing Body. To further support the recruitment process, the Department has put arrangements in place for jobseekers meeting the criteria to apply to the Department for participation on Tús. In such cases, Departmental case officers nominate suitable candidates for recruitment.
The eligibility criteria for Tús are in line with the Government’s policies to focus resources on maintaining the work readiness and employability of jobseekers on the Live Register. In order to maintain this focus, persons who are not in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment are not eligible for selection for the Tús programme.
The current eligibility criteria for the CE programme have been expanded over the years. The basic eligibility requirement is that a person must be currently in receipt of a CE-qualifying payment from my Department for the requisite period of time, for example jobseeker’s allowance, for a minimum period of twelve months. Recent changes to the eligibility criteria for CE include the reduction in the entry age for CE participants working directly with service users in the childcare sector and social/healthcare sector to 21 years of age. The standard minimum entry age for CE is 25 years of age. The eligibility criteria for participants aged 62 and over have also been eased in terms of the maximum duration they can remain on the programme, subject to certain conditions.
The eligibility criteria for both the CE and Tús programmes are kept under review to ensure that they remains fit for purpose and that there is the maximum utilisation of places.
If there is a specific issue with regard to the processing time of an application for a work scheme, the matter should be raised with the local Intreo/DSP Office. Intreo is the single point of contact in my Department for all employment programmes and income supports and it is designed to provide a more streamlined and efficient approach for jobseekers engaging with the Department.
As you might be aware a review of CE schemes was conducted by the Department. I met with my Senior Officials who have responsibility for CE schemes at the end of August to discuss the findings of this review. It is hoped that I will be in a position to bring a memo to Government by the end of the year.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Question No. 44 answered with Question No. 38.