Vol. 529 No. 4
65 Dr. Upton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the cri teria for entitlement to a Christmas bonus for participants on the jobs initiative scheme; the reasons only some jobs initiative workers are entitled to a bonus to date, while all community employment workers are entitled to the bonus; the further reason FÁS is not administering this payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3021/01]
Participants on the job initiative programme are not automatically entitled to secondary benefits, which include the Christmas bonus payment. In general, participants on job initiative may retain any secondary benefits they had prior to participating on the programme, subject to the usual retention arrangements for secondary benefits. The eligible categories for Christmas bonus payments under job initiative are former recipients of long-term unemployment assistance, former recipients of unemployment benefit and former recipients of one parent family payment whose entitlement to this payment ceased by virtue of their qualifying child or children reaching 18 years of age in the course of participation on the programme.
The terms of employment on community employment, including the number of hours worked per week, allowances, and eligibility criteria are different to those obtaining on Job Initiative. It is not appropriate, therefore, to compare the two programmes in regard to eligibility for Christmas bonus payments.
