Written answers

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Department of Social Protection

Community Employment Schemes Review

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if persons currently participating on community employment schemes who are in receipt of a second social welfare payment can suspend their second payment until they have completed their time on the scheme and then receive the second payment again once the scheme has finished as an alternative to having to finished the scheme in December in order to keep their second payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35302/14]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Prior to Budget 2012 measures coming into force, certain Community Employment (CE) participants (i.e. those in receipt of one parent family payment, disability allowance, invalidity pension, illness benefit, blind pension, deserted wife’s benefit, or widow(ers) pension) could retain their original social welfare payment whilst simultaneously receiving CE allowances.

With effect from 16 January 2012, all newentrants to the Community Employment (CE) programme receive CE payments onlyand are disqualified from receiving their original social welfare payment simultaneously for the duration of their participation on the CE programme.

Participants already employed on CE at the time of the introduction of this measure that were currently in simultaneous receipt of their original social welfare payment (as detailed above) andCE allowances (at the CE single adult rate) could retain both payments while they participated on CE, with a final cut-off point of 31 December 2014 for the ending of all simultaneous payments. At the cut-off point, the person will have a choice of remaining on CE but will receive CE allowances only (adjusted to account for any applicable dependants, fuel allowance, etc.), while their original payment would cease until their CE participation ended. Otherwise, they cannot retain their original payment and remain on CE. Those that choose to remain on CE can have their original social welfare payment re-instated on completion of their time on CE (with the exception of illness benefit, which must be applied for again as a fresh claim).

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