Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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50. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will re-introduce the student summer work scheme similar to the former scheme, which was very successful in providing students with the opportunity of engaging in vital community and social work, was very productive, enabled these students to contribute to their communities and provided them with experience in the work environment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22588/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The students’ summer jobs scheme was first introduced in 1993 to provide income support for less well-off students who were disqualified under social welfare legislation from receiving unemployment assistance during the summer months. The scheme allowed students to take up part-time work useful to their community and to receive payment for this work. The scheme required considerable administrative effort to deliver.

Take-up was initially high, but dropped significantly as unemployment fell in the late 1990s, leading to greater and wider availability of alternative summer employment. In view of declining numbers and in order to focus available resources and administrative effort in the best possible way, it was decided to discontinue the students’ summer jobs scheme in 2003.

It remains the case that there are higher priority uses for the financial and administrative resources of the Department of Social Protection than support for summer employment for students. Schemes such as Community Employment and Tus, supporting employment in the community and voluntary sector, are concentrated on the registered unemployed, and particularly those who have been out of work for longer periods. There are no plans to reintroduce a scheme of support for summer student jobs.