Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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133. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm that community employment participants who commenced prior to 16 January 2012 and have had continuous service may retain their primary social welfare payment alongside the CE personal rate allowance until they finish their time on community employment; the number of participants that will be effected by this change; and the steps that have been taken to inform those participants. [46959/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I can confirm that community employment (CE) participants who commenced prior to 16 January 2012, who are in receipt of one of the specified concurrent payments, and who have had continuous service on CE since that date, may retain their primary social welfare payment alongside the CE personal rate allowance until they finish their time on CE.

The number of participants affected by this is 778. All CE schemes with eligible participants were made aware on Monday 1^stDecember and the participants were informed via their CE Sponsors. Internally, the Department updated its divisional CE staff and the relevant scheme areas in advance of this.

The specified payments are as follows:

- One Parent Family Payment

- Deserted Wife’s Benefit

- Widow(er)s Pension (Contributory and Non-Contributory)

- Illness Benefit

- Disability Allowance

- Invalidity Pension

- Blind Pension.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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134. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on the number of community employment participants who will have a dual payment ended after December 2014; and the savings to the Department's budget as a result of this change. [46960/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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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

- Deserted Wife’s Benefit

- Widow(er)s Pension (Contributory and Non-Contributory)

- Illness Benefit

- Disability Allowance

- Invalidity Pension

- Blind Pension

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 while they participate on CE.

CE participants who commenced prior to 16 January 2012, who are in receipt of one of the specified concurrent payments, and who have had continuous service on CE since that date, may retain their primary social welfare payment, alongside the CE personal rate allowance until they finish their time on CE (provided they retain eligibility for receipt of that payment).

There are no savings to the Department's budget as a result of this measure.