Bernard Allen
Ceist:39 Mr. Allen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the reason there are different rates in the job initiative scheme ranging from £230 to £180 per week. [11866/99]
Written Answers. - FÁS Training Programmes.
The job initiative programme is a programme targeted at persons over 35 years of age who have been unemployed for five years. The programme is administered by FÁS. Under the programme FÁS provides a grant of £210 per week for each participant to job initiative managing agents. From this amount the managing agent is required by FÁS to set a rate for the job for a particular post that an employee will fill. The managing agent is obliged to allocate at least 2 per cent of funding to training or development for the employee, and the managing agent may allocate a maximum of 10 per cent of the grant to materials and administration costs.
The rate of pay is determined by the managing agent in consultation with local trade unions and the local area partnership is asked to confirm the acceptability of the rate for the job.
The managing agent may only top up wages for those on the job initiative from their own resources where such top up measures are necessary to establish a rate for the job which matches existing trade union rates within the managing agent's organisation. Any variation in payment between different job initiative projects is within these parameters.