Vol. 426 No. 7
108 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo who was employed on a community employment development programme is not entitled to a Christmas bonus on the basis that he does not reside within the designated area, although all others on the development programme received this bonus for doing the same work; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Special measures were introduced on a pilot basis in the twelve partnership areas established under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress to assist the long term unemployed residing in these areas. Only persons from these areas participating in the special measures including the community employment development programme — CEDP — which replaced the social employment scheme in the partnership areas, retained their secondary benefits including the Christmas bonus. Persons from outside the areas participating in the CEDP were not entitled to retain their secondary benefits.
However, the Government has decided that the terms of payment for new entrants to the CEDP should be those of the social employment scheme. The reintroduction of the higher terms of payment will be considered in the context of the Community Support Framework for 1994-1999.
