Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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170. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if there was a change made to the rules governing the duration a person can be on a community employment scheme and whether a person's placement on a Tús scheme results in that person only being allowed to do a CE scheme for a shorter period than would otherwise be the case. [45068/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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With effect from 3^rdApril 2000, lifetime cumulative participation on CE by an individual is limited to:

- 3 years (156 weeks) for persons under 55 years of age;

- 6 years (312 weeks) for persons of 55 years of age up to State Pension age; and

- Eligible persons in receipt of a qualifying disability-linked Social Welfare payment will be eligible for one additional year on CE over the standard maximum participation caps, i.e. 4 years cumulative maximum time on CE for those under 55 years of age (Part-Time Job Option only), and 7 years cumulative maximum time for those between 55 and State Pension age (Part-Time Job Option only).

Participation on CE prior to 3^rdApril 2000 is not counted. Offshore island residents are exempt from this participation cap, subject to the availability of places on island-based CE schemes.

Tús participants, aged 25 or over, who arrange a direct transfer onto CE at the end of their 52-week Tús placement via their local DSP Intreo Office, are limited to one year’s CE participation before having to leave the scheme and re-qualify in the standard manner (i.e. 12 months in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment to gain a further year on CE). All CE participants are subject to the above duration limits, so a jobseeker under 55 can avail of a maximum of 3 years on CE (but not in one block of time).

Where a former Tús participant has signed back on the Live Register, and wishes to apply for CE, their time spent on the Live Register prior to the Tús placement (1 year plus, by definition) is combined with the Live Register signing period after the Tús placement (1 week minimum) to allow them to become eligible for CE as a Jobseeker client. Time spent on Tús is ignored for CE eligibility purposes. This will allow them to participate for 1 year on CE before having to leave and requalify, as detailed above. If their cumulative Live Register signing time exceeds three years and they are 35 years of age or over, they may qualify for the Part-Time Job Option of CE, which allows up to three years continuous CE participation, subject to annually renewable contracts.