Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Jul 1996

Vol. 468 No. 4

Written Answers. - Student Summer Jobs Scheme.

Noel Dempsey

Ceist:

701 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of sponsors that were sanctioned to participate on the student summer job scheme; the number of students that received sanction; and the percentage take-up of this scheme on a county by county basis. [14987/96]

Michael P. Kitt

Ceist:

703 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether the greater payment for pension/service will be taken into account in the assessment of parents income for the student summer jobs scheme, where a parent is paying into two pension schemes or buying notional years service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15031/96]

Michael P. Kitt

Ceist:

704 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will permit students who have received an award at third level college and who have received a place on a diploma or degree course for the next school year, to participate in the student summer jobs scheme. [15032/96]

Michael P. Kitt

Ceist:

705 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of sponsors for the student summer job scheme; the projected number of students participating in the scheme; the proposals, if any, he has to allow students who have been refused participation in the scheme to now take part; and the total number of students approved for this scheme to date. [15033/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

709 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the basis of the number of students approved under the student summer job scheme; the estimated total cost of the scheme in 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15064/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

710 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason he denied students the right to work for their money under the social welfare schemes rather than requiring them to draw unemployment assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15065/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

711 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of sponsors in each county who did not succeed in recruiting the required number of students under the student summer jobs scheme to carry out their programme of work during 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15066/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

712 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number and percentage of student places unfilled in each county under the student summer jobs scheme in each of the three years from 1994 to 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15067/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

713 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of students approved under the student summer jobs scheme in each of the three years from 1994 to 1996. [15068/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

714 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of student places provided by sponsors under the student summer jobs scheme in each of the years from 1994 to 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15069/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

715 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of sponsors approved under the student summer jobs scheme in each of the three years from 1994 to 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15070/96]

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

716 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of students who applied for approval under the student summer jobs scheme in each of the three years from 1994 to 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15071/96]

Edward Nealon

Ceist:

725 Mr. Nealon asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of students who have availed in 1996 of the student summer job scheme in counties Sligo and Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15187/96]

Michael P. Kitt

Ceist:

729 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of students at third-level studying for a diploma or degree course in the 1996-7 college year who applied for inclusion in the student summer job scheme but who have been refused. [15205/96]

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

736 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of students ineligible for the student summer job scheme in 1996. [15367/96]

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

737 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown of the categories of persons deemed ineligible for the student summer job scheme in terms of age, means, between courses, college or other reasons. [15368/96]

Michael P. Kitt

Ceist:

742 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a parent's contribution to a pension scheme through purchasing notional years service will be allowed as a deduction from total parental income with regard to the student summer job scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15487/96]

Seamus Brennan

Ceist:

743 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of regional technical college students who applied for the student summer job scheme, who were refused participation and who are now claiming unemployment assistance; if he has satisfied himself with the effects on voluntary agencies of this revised scheme which precludes students who have completed certificate and diploma courses but who have enrolled for degree courses; his views on whether the new rules effectively discriminate against regional technical college students who are between courses and who would have qualified under the previous scheme, in view of the fact that other students who opt out of degree courses are considered eligible; his views on the loss of self-esteem of students who would have been eligible under the previous scheme but who now may claim unemployment assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15540/96]

Seamus Brennan

Ceist:

744 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Social Welfare the actual or approximate number of additional people claiming unemployment assistance as a result of the changes introduced in the student summer job scheme; his views on whether the increase in unemployment numbers can be attributed to these changes over and above seasonally adjusted numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15541/96]

Seamus Brennan

Ceist:

745 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the effects of the revised student summer job scheme on a summer project (details supplied) in Dublin 16 where 20 participants were sought, as was the case in 1995, but only three were received; if he has satisfied himself that this revised scheme is advantageous to the community and to students in a situation like this where the previous year's participants were largely drawn from the ranks of regional technical college students who are declared ineligible in 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15542/96]

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

748 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of applications received for the student summer job scheme in 1996. [15574/96]

Joe Walsh

Ceist:

758 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of students approved to date under the student summer jobs scheme; and the number of students approved on this date in 1995. [15756/96]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 701, 703, 704, 705, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 725, 729, 735, 736, 737, 742, 743, 744, 745, 748 and 758 together.

The underlying purpose of the student summer jobs scheme is to provide income support for less well off third level students who are excluded from receiving unemployment assistance under the change in social welfare law in 1993 and are unable to find summer work. Students who are not disqualified from unemployment assistance by this 1993 exclusion are not eligible for the student summer jobs scheme.

Due to the improvements which I introduced to the scheme in 1995 there was a large growth in the number of students seeking to participate. While £6 million was allocated in the 1995 budget, the expenditure on the scheme rose to £10 million and the numbers participating rose from 9,000 to almost 16,000. I received Government sanction to again spend £10 million on this scheme in 1996 and I am satisfied that approximately the same number will participate this year. In order to ensure the students for whom it is intended actually benefit from this sizeable expenditure, that is, low income third level students who have been denied unemployment assistance since 1993, it was necessary to strictly adhere to the conditions of the scheme.

It is too early yet to provide reliable statistics on the specific take up of either sponsors or students in this year's scheme. This information will not be available until later in the year when the vast majority of sponsors will have submitted claims for recoupment of payments made to students.

The following table is a summary of the number of sponsors in each county who failed to get students for the years 1994 and 1995:

	1994	1995
Cork	43	50
Kerry	24	26
Limerick	19	33
Clare	19	16
Tipperary	19	24
Waterford	21	17
Wexford	15	23
Carlow	4	13
Kilkenny	3	13
Galway	38	37
Mayo	26	25
Sligo	7	17
Donegal	10	19
Leitrim	12	12
Longford	11	12
Roscommon	18	18
Westmeath	9	18
Offaly	8	11
Laois	6	11
Louth	19	18
Cavan	15	16
Monaghan	10	25
Meath	13	16
Kildare	18	16
Wicklow	18	14
Dublin	76	72

Summary of Sponsors, Places and Students 1994-95

	1994	1995
Sponsors Approved	2,287		3,324
Jobs Offered	12,863		21,761
Student Applications	13,815		22,899
Students not Approved	1,854	(13.5 per cent)	4,006	(17.5 per cent)
Students Approved	11,961	(86.5 per cent)	18,893	(82.5 per cent)
Approved Students who Participated	9,200	(77.0 per cent)	15,830	(84.0 per cent)

To qualify for the scheme, students must satisfy a means test which is broadly similar to that which is applied for entitlement to unemployment assistance. The means assessment does not make any allowance for voluntary contributions made to pension schemes.

As I pointed out earlier and in previous parliamentary questions, the scheme was never intended for students who are entitled to claim unemployment assistance if they cannot find work. Students in regional technical colleges who have completed a course of study although they may intend to do further courses are not barred from claiming unemployment assistance if they cannot find work and are, therefore, ineligible for the scheme. Every ineligible student included would squeeze out an eligible needy student with no alternative source of income. Students were excluded in previous years on grounds of ineligibility; this is shown in the table.

The number of sponsors offering jobs has increased significantly this year so that the individual sponsors such as the sponsor concerned in Dublin 16 may be experiencing greater difficulty in attracting approved students to their projects than they did in 1995. Each approved student is given a booklet containing a list of all the sponsors. It is a matter for the students concerned to choose the sponsor, and for the sponsor to accept the student.

Where we become aware that an approved student has failed on their own initiative to secure a job under the scheme, my Department makes every effort to assist that student in the search for a suitable sponsor.