Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1993

Vol. 435 No. 6

Ceisteanna — Questions Written Answers. - Employment Schemes Figures.

John Bruton

Ceist:

23 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of people in County Meath who have taken part in the part-time job incentive scheme, the voluntary work option and the back-to-work allowance; and if he will give details of the benefits of, and means of applying for these schemes to unemployed people in County Meath.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

The schemes in question are part of my overall vigorous, pro-active, work supportive programme of incentives, options and opportunities which are available to unemployed people. These initiatives are designed to provide opportunities for long term unemployed people and to encourage them to make the transition back into the workforce. Anyone wishing to participate in these schemes should contact their local social welfare office where they will be furnished with all the necessary details. The following is a brief description of each scheme.

Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme:

The part-time job incentive scheme is designed to allow long term unemployed people to work part-time for up to 24 hours a week while receiving a flat rate allowance instead of their unemployment payments. The allowances are currently £37.80 for a single person and £62.10 for a married person with a dependent spouse. This supplement is not affected by any wages from the part-time job. There are almost 500 people currently participating in the part-time job incentive scheme of which over 40 are residing in County Meath.

Voluntary Work Option:

The voluntary work option facilitates people who are receiving unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit in getting involved in certain types of voluntary work. The option was intended to be of benefit to unemployed people by involving them in their community and social services activities and by developing their existing skills and preparing them for full-time work. Under the scheme people are authorised by the local office to engage in voluntary work and have the security of knowing that their unemployment benefits are not affected. Statistics are not available as to the extent to which unemployed people are engaged in voluntary work but the number of workers who have contacted their local office to avail of the option has been low.

Back To Work Allowance:

The new back to work allowance scheme which I introduced in September is a pilot scheme for 3,000 people and is intended to provide a financial cushion to people in receipt of unemployment payments and lone parent's allowance who wish to return to paid employment or to engage in self-employment. It allows long term unemployed people to keep up to three quarters of their unemployment payments while exploring the potential of viable employment in indigenous industry or the voluntary sector, or while setting up self-employment ventures such as horticulture, fisheries, tourism and heritage.

People who participate in the scheme receive 75 per cent of their weekly social welfare entitlement (including adult and child dependent allowances) for the first year of payment and 50 per cent for the second year. They also retain access to family income supplement, fuel allowance, butter vouchers, back to school clothing and footwear allowance and the Christmas bonus.

The scheme has only been in operation for a relatively short period and detailed statistics are not yet available on a county basis.