Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 71: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the conditions of eligibility to participate in community employment for persons in different age groups; the payments made in each category and the way these payments interact with entitlements under other social welfare schemes. [44610/10]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The criteria for participating in the FÁS Community Employment Scheme (CE) are based on age and length of time in receipt of various social welfare payments, and are as follows: Part-time Integration Option (PTI) This is a one year version of CE for people aged 25 years and over who are receiving social welfare payments for 12 months or more. Part-time Job Option (PTJ) This is a three year version of CE, (based on annually renewable contracts) for people aged 35 years and over and who are receiving social welfare payments for 3 years or more.

The social welfare payments referred to above are: Jobseekers Benefit (JB); Jobseekers Allowance (JA); One Parent Family Payment (OPFP); Widows/Widowers Contributory Pension; Widows/Widowers Non-Contributory Pension; Deserted Wife's Benefit (DWB); Farm Assist (FA).

Time spent in receipt of Carer's Allowance can also count towards the 12-month eligibility period (3 years for PTJ), but caring responsibilities must have ceased and the person must currently be in receipt of either JA, JB or OPFP.

The following persons are also eligible for participation on CE: People aged 18 years or over (35 years or over for PTJ) and who are currently in receipt of any of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension and Illness Benefit for six months or more; Persons from the Travelling Community aged 18 years or over, who are unemployed and in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance for any period (12 months for PTJ) or One Parent Family Payment for 1 year or longer. In the case of those under 18 years of age, a minimum of 12 months spent in a Travellers Training Centre is enough for eligibility; All refugees aged 18 years or over, as authenticated by the Department of Justice and Law Reform, in receipt of payments from the Department of Social Protection; Persons aged 18 years or over inhabiting the offshore islands; Ex-offenders aged 18 years or over (35 years or over for PTJ) and referred by the Probation Service. Also, Ex-offenders aged 18 and over (35 years or over for PTJ) and not referred by the Probation Service and in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseekers Benefit for a period of one year or more (3 years for PTJ). Time spent as a prisoner is regarded as reckonable when considering the duration unemployed; Persons aged 18 years or over referred by the Drugs Task Force.

Time spent on recognised training or employment programmes (such as a FÁS training course) can also be counted towards eligibility. Eligibility to participate on CE for both PTI and PTJ is linked to those in receipt of an Irish social welfare payment. Those persons not meeting the criteria under these options, or who are signing for credits, or receiving social welfare benefits from a different country, are not eligible to participate on CE.

In assessing eligibility for CE, recipients of JA or JB are allowed a maximum of 30 worked days in the 12 months prior to commencing. The participant wages grants (weekly gross) from January, 2010 are as follows: Participant Category (temporary/part-time) Grant € Participant without Dependants (Single adult rate) 216.00 Participant with an Adult Dependant (Single adult rate plus IQA) 346.10 Each Child Dependant (Full Rate) 29.80 Each Child Dependant (Half Rate) 14.90

FÁS has advised that some participants can continue to receive all or part of their Social Welfare payments while on Community Employment in addition to their FÁS allowances (e.g. lone parents and persons with a disability).

A detailed analysis of how FÁS allowances interact with social welfare payments will be conveyed separately to the deputy.