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Social Welfare Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 November 2018

Tuesday, 13 November 2018

Questions (538, 545)

Pat Deering

Question:

538. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the perceived inequality that prohibits persons who are not in receipt of a social protection payment from applying for community employment schemes or back to education courses will be addressed. [46464/18]

View answer

Pat Deering

Question:

545. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the inequality that prohibits persons who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment from applying for community employment schemes or back to education courses will be addressed. [46534/18]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 538 and 545 together.

The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is a second-chance education opportunity scheme designed to remove barriers to participate in second and third level education by enabling those who fulfil the eligibility criteria to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course.

Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment and/or further education and training. It is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities of returning to the open labour market.

In order to qualify for either BTEA or CE, a number of conditions including age and being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specific period must be met.

My Department also provides a range of services to unemployed persons who are not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. These include advice on job-search activities, the use of online job search tools in Intreo Centres nationally, upskilling opportunities through Educational Training Boards (ETBs), Springboard and Skillnet courses. Persons signing for credits for six months or more can also participate on ETB-run VTOS courses, subject to availability. In the case of VTOS courses, participants do not receive a training allowance but may receive travel and lunch allowances.

My Department and the Government is committed to supporting as many people as possible to participate more fully in employment and to become more self-sufficient by providing supports that address barriers they may encounter in finding and sustaining employment.

As the Deputy will be aware, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments.

Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by my Department are focused, in the first instance, on this cohort of unemployed people who are in receipt of a qualifying payment and I have no plans to change the existing criteria.

If the Deputy has a particular case in mind perhaps he would contact my Department with details.

I hope this clarifies the matter.

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