Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2017
1275. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to extend the time that persons aged 62 years and over can spend on community employment schemes, in view of the fact that such persons will exit the scheme short of the old age pension age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47013/17]
View answerParticipants on Community Employment (CE) schemes do not have to retire until state pension age provided they continue to satisfy the conditions associated with their participation on the scheme.
In addition, as the Deputy is aware, there is a pilot initiative in operation for participants on CE who are aged 62 or over. This initiative enables participants over 62 to participate up to the state pension age subject to satisfying the conditions satisfactory performance on the scheme and to annual approval by the Department. The places allocated for these participants within each individual CE scheme are limited to 7% of each scheme’s overall budgeted places. This pilot scheme is currently available nationwide.
Following the publication earlier this year of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme - the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions of participation on CE. At the time of publication, it was also signalled that a review of the rules governing the participation of older people on schemes would take place and I expect this review to be completed in the coming weeks.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
