Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the monthly and annual cost of each additional 100 people claiming under the various back to work schemes and programmes operated by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10324/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are two strands of the back to work scheme; back to work enterprise allowance (BTWEA) for self employed and back to work allowance (BTWA) for employees. The allowance is payable at a tapered rate of the qualifying payment. The self employed strand is payable at 100% of the qualifying payment in year one, 75% in year two, 50% in year three, and 25% in year four. Participants on the employee strand receive 75% of the qualifying payment in year one, 50% in year two, and 25% in year three.

In 2008, the total expenditure on the scheme was €73.14m and at the end of December 2008 there were 8,162 participants of whom 4,604 were availing of the self-employment option. A total of €80.34m has been provided for the scheme in 2009. Based on figures available, the average weekly cost per person on the back to work scheme is €165.49. It is estimated that the annual cost of an additional 100 people on the back to work allowance is in the region of €877,000.