Peter Barry
Ceist:25 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons no longer registered as unemployed although still in receipt of social assistance under other headings.
Written Answers. - Pre-Retirement Allowance Scheme.
In March 1990 I introduced the pre-retirement allowance scheme under which persons who are over 60 and are in receipt of unemployment assistance on a long-term basis and who are effectively retired may opt for an allowance paid by book. Persons in this situation would no longer be registered as unemployed. To date 3,857 such persons have opted for the pre-retirement allowance.
Since the introduction of the widower's and deserted husband's allowance schemes in October 1989 an estimated 500 persons who had been in receipt of unemployment payments have transferred to the new schemes.
Certain other persons on the live register will, in the normal course of events, transfer to other social assistance payments, for example, to old age pensions. Details of the number of these persons are not available.