Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to change the position whereby an adult who is dependent on a spouse's invalidity pension is precluded from partaking in a community employment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12263/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Community Employment (CE) is the largest employment programme administered by my Department and is a valuable resource for both jobseekers and communities. Currently, there are almost 22,940 participants and nearly 1,400 supervisors employed on CE at a cost of approximately €376.5m in 2016.

As the Deputy will be aware, CE aims to enhance the employability and mobility of participants by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. In addition, it helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine.

Currently to be eligible for CE, a person must be in receipt of one of a number of social welfare payments, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance or One Parent Family Payment, for 52 weeks. This is in keeping with commitments in Pathways to Work to target initiatives at those who are long-term unemployed. The adult dependant of a social welfare claimant is not eligible for CE as eligibility rests with the main claimant only. It is open to an adult dependent to make an application and be assessed for a qualifying payment in their own right.

It is also worth noting that there are a range of other options open to those who do not qualify for CE. My Department’s Intreo office staff will be happy to advise clients of the intervention that might best suit their individual needs.