Written answers

Thursday, 5 March 2009

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Social Welfare Code

5:00 pm

Photo of Ulick BurkeUlick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the discussions which have taken place with her regarding the top up scheme to allow jobless people retain their jobseeker's assistance while working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9136/09]

Photo of Emmet StaggEmmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to change the rules of the back to work allowance scheme, or to otherwise introduce a scheme that would allow jobseeker's retain welfare while in employment. [9278/09]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 40 together.

Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit are normally payable when persons lose their employment however the jobseeker's' system is flexible and can respond to many persons who suffer a reduction in days employed or who can only find part-time work. People who find themselves in such circumstances may in fact be paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs in respect of days not worked.

To be paid jobseeker's payments for any week, there must be 3 days of unemployment in that week or a person must be in a systematic short-time work situation such as one week on followed by a week off.

These various arrangements currently support some 44,000 casual and part-time workers who are not able to find full-time work, or who have suffered a reduction in working days, within the social welfare system at present.

In addition the Department of Social and Family Affairs provides a range of employment supports designed to assist and facilitate people on social welfare payments to return to the active labour force. Included in these measures is the back to work allowance (BTWA). The BTWA scheme is designed to assist the long-term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities and other social welfare recipients to return to work.

There are two strands to the scheme; the back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) for the self-employed and the back to work allowance (BTWA) for employees. Participants receive a tapered percentage of their social welfare payment over a three year period for employees and a four year period for those who become self employed. Participants may also retain entitlement to certain other secondary benefits. These allowances provide a monetary incentive for people who are dependant long-term on social welfare payments to make the return to work financially attractive and viable.

To qualify for the back to work allowance an application must be submitted in advance and the person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment for a specific length of time immediately prior to commencing employment or self employment.

The department also operates an in-work payment to low paid workers through the family income supplement (FIS). The scheme is designed to provide support for people, with families, who are on low earnings. This preserves the incentive for them to remain in employment in circumstances where they might be only marginally better off than if they were claiming other social welfare payments.

One of the qualifying conditions for receipt of FIS is that the customer must be in paid employment of at least 38 hours every fortnight or 19 hours per week. This condition must be satisfied on an ongoing basis. Application forms are available forms are available on-line at www.welfare.ie or through local Social Welfare Offices or through the Department's local leaflet request line.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs does not operate any other in work support or top up scheme for jobseeker's. The schemes of the department will continue to be monitored in the light of the changed economic circumstance in order to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives.

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