Vol. 399 No. 1
40 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Labour if he intends increasing weekly payments for participants on FAS schemes; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that after 1 July 1990 a person in receipt of long-term unemployment assistance will only benefit by £8 on the scheme; if he agrees that there is little incentive to the unemployed to participate in the scheme given this situation; and the measures he is taking to alleviate this situation.
I take it that the Deputy is referring to the social employment scheme. Weekly payments under the scheme were increased in January last when I introduced the £10 per week child dependant allowance.
Although social employment scheme payments are not directly linked to social welfare payments, the question of improving the payments under the scheme is being considered at present.
I believe that the scheme offers a real and valuable opportunity to the long-term unemployed, and particularly those with child dependants, to regain a foothold in the labour force.
