Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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170. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to increase the top-up allowance paid to participants on JobBridge, Tús and community employment schemes; if no increase is planned, the reasons for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17734/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Work experience and placement opportunities programmes such as JobBridge, Tús and Community Employment are among a range of activation measures administered by the Department to support unemployed people in their efforts to get back into the labour force. Significant exchequer resources have been invested in the provision and maintenance of these programmes. The basic allowance paid to participants was increased in Budget 2016.

JobBridge was introduced in 2011 as an urgent response to the unemployment crisis. The main aim was to provide an opportunity for jobseekers to secure some work experience, while at the same time supporting employers in taking the first step in recruitment at a time when access to finance was very limited and business risk was very high. To date, it has helped over 19,000 mainly small employers to provide opportunities to nearly 48,000 jobseekers. An independent evaluation found that about 61% of JobBridge participants progressed into paid employment within a short period of finishing.

JobBridge participants receive an allowance equivalent to their underlying their jobseeker payment and an additional top-up of €52 per week.

Economic and labour market conditions have improved significantly since JobBridge was introduced and a second comprehensive evaluation of the JobBridge is currently underway. I expect the results to be published in September 2016. I have already announced that I plan to replace the scheme at that time and have asked the Labour Market Council to assist me in the design of its replacement. The rate of payment will be one of the issues that I will look at.

Both Tús and Community Employment (CE) focus on those who are long-term unemployed, and aim to improve the employability and work readiness of participants by providing them with the opportunities to put skills into practice and learn new ones thus enabling progression to work, further education or skill development opportunities.

Participants in Community Employment and Tús schemes work an average of 19.5 hours per week and receive a weekly payment which is equivalent to the social welfare payment appropriate to their family size, plus a top up of €22.50, subject to a minimum payment of €210.50 per week. The top up payment was increased from €20 to €22.50 last year. Any further changes to the scheme to increase the rate of payment would have to be considered in a budgetary context.