Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

When someone moves onto a Tús scheme he or she works 19.5 hours a week for their social welfare payment. In this case the social welfare payment was €422 plus a variety of other supports. If someone was working in a private business in Waterford earning €422 plus a medical card, fuel allowance and back to school clothing and footwear allowances they are expected to contribute a relatively small amount of PRSI, which is significant.

In the long run, in terms of the social insurance system, the people who are on the lowest income benefit most because they qualify ultimately for a contributory pension when they retire. There is significant demand around the country for placements on the Tús programme. I hope the particular individual enjoyed and got value from the placement on Tús. The key issue is that for someone like the individual concerned who has been out of work for more than a year and in some cases out of work for many years, Tús is a significant help towards ultimately getting back to education in many cases or further training or employment.

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