A comparison of the weekly payments of participants on the social employment scheme and persons in receipt of unemployment assistance is as follows:
Unemployment Assistance
|
Social Employment Scheme (SES)
|
Basic rate £55.00
|
£72.00
|
Adult dependant £33.00
|
£31.50
|
Child dependant up to
|
Up to £12.00 per child
|
£12.00 per child
|
|
A person with an adult dependant and three children would, therefore, have £139.50 per week on the social employment scheme as against £124 per week on unemployment assistance. While persons on unemployment assistance may have additional benefits such as fuel allowance, butter vouchers etc., the extra payment on the basic social employment scheme allowance more than compensates for the loss of these extra benefits.
I must emphasise that there is no compulsion on unemployed persons to participate in the scheme. However, if a person refuses an opportunity to participate in the scheme the reason for so doing may be investigated by the Department of Social Welfare in the context of that person's continued entitlement to unemployment compensation.
The submission recently made by the Scheme Workers Alliance sought improvements in the level of payments made under the scheme as if it were a full-time employment scheme. The social employment scheme offers part-time opportunities to the long term unemployed and the available resources are used to provide opportunities for as many long term unemployed people as possible.