Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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384. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of young persons under 25 years of age that have been supported by the JobsPlus youth scheme to date by county in a tabular form. [50735/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees from the Live Register and those transitioning into employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 over two years - paid in monthly installments.

A total of 4,183 people under 25 years of age have been supported to date by the JobsPlus youth scheme.

A county breakdown of those supported is provided in Table 1.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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385. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the funding allocation for the JobsPlus scheme has been cut from €20.2 million in 2019 to €10.1 million in 2020 as set out in the budget 2020 expenditure report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50736/19]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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386. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the funding allocation for the back to education allowance scheme has been cut from €61.67 million in 2019 to €56.7 million in 2020 as set out in the budget 2020 expenditure report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50737/19]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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387. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the funding allocation for the back to work enterprise allowance scheme has been cut from €70.36 million in 2019 to €37.32 million in 2020 as set out in the budget 2020 expenditure report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50738/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 385 to 387, inclusive, together.

JobsPlus is an incentive to encourage and reward employers who offer employment opportunities to the long term unemployed. The 2020 Budget Day estimate of €10.1m reflects reduced demand for the scheme evident from trends observed in 2019 that are expected to continue in 2020.

Back to Education Allowance and Back to Work Enterprise Allowance are both demand-led schemes and the allocation provided each year is determined by the expected demand.

Participant numbers for Back to Education Allowance and Back to Work Enterprise Allowance have been decreasing every year since 2012 following the fall in numbers on the Live Register.

The 2020 Budget Day estimates of €56.7m for Back to Education Allowance and €37.32m for Back to Work Enterprise Allowance reflect the downward trends in participants since 2012 and the trends observed in 2019 that are expected to continue in 2020.