Vol. 551 No. 2
88 Mr. Allen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment whether a participant has to retire from a community employment scheme and accept the old age pension when he or she reaches 66 years of age; and if such a person can continue working on a limited basis, continue to draw invalidity pension and refuse to accept the old age pension. [9714/02]
The primary purpose of community employment is to reintegrate long-term unemployed persons into employment in the open labour market. Participants on CE are usually within the age range of 25 to 65. A person who is on CE when he or she reaches the age of 65 may finish out his or her term and is not automatically terminated from the programme. The person who is on any FÁS programme on reaching the age 65 will have been eligible due to the eligibility criteria at the time of applying and will remain on such a programme until the approved eligibility period elapses, even if such date brings them past 65 years. As advised by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, a person may continue to claim invalidity pension at 66 years of age or older and, therefore, there is no requirement to transfer to the old age pension at that time.
