Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

47. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she is withdrawing double payments after 1 January 2015, as this will effect community employment schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43585/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Budget of 2012 announced the disqualification from certain welfare payments for welfare recipients while participating on Community Employment (CE). Up until 16th January 2012, certain social welfare payments could be retained in part or in full when participating on CE. The CE personal rate of €208.00 was applicable to these participants (as any dependants were covered under the original social welfare payment).

These who retained social welfare payments included:

- One Parent Family Payment (partially retained)

- Deserted Wife’s Benefit (fully retained)

- Widow(er)s Pension (fully retained)

- Illness Benefit (fully retained)

- Disability Allowance (partially retained)

- Invalidity Pension (fully retained)

- Blind Pension (partially retained)

As part of Budget 2012, new entrants to CE were disqualified from simultaneously receiving their original social welfare payment and CE allowances with effect from Monday 16th January 2012. From that date, participants receive CE allowances only at a rate equivalent to their scheduled social welfare payment, plus €20, subject to a minimum payment of €208.00 per week. This disqualification was enacted under Section 12 of the Social Welfare Act 2011.

For those participants already engaged on CE at the time of the introduction of this measure, it was possible to retain their dual payments under a saver clause in the above legislation. The Department is currently considering this matter and is in the process of collating data on claimants who are currently in receipt of dual payments and will respond in due course to the Deputy.