Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 18 Feb 1998

Vol. 487 No. 4

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

87 Mr. Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will ensure that participants in FÁS and Youthreach schemes are allowed to retain their secondary benefits as provided for participants in community employment, back to work, area allowance enterprise and other schemes. [4108/98]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Miss Harney)

The retention of secondary benefits is a matter for the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs to consider, and I have no function in the matter. I understand, however, that, in the main, participants on FÁS training programmes do retain their secondary benefits such as Christmas bonus, medical card, fuel allowance etc. In the case of the Youthreach this is a programme for early school leavers, the majority of whom would be under 18 years of age and would not generally have welfare entitlements.

The only difficulty arises in relation to supplementary welfare allowance benefits where training payments can be assessed as part of an individual's means. Even then, few individuals should be affected, as FÁS training allowances are at the same, or at a slightly higher, level than the unemployment payment of which an individual would have been in receipt.