Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will approve the payment of fuel allowance via lump sum for community employment scheme participants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16725/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. The programme is delivered through independent CE sponsoring organisations that operate in the community and voluntary sector.

CE sponsoring authorities receive annual contracts from my Department which fund the employment of both CE participants and supervisors, as well as funding towards training and material costs. Grant aid is provided by the Department to cover these costs on a per capita basis.

Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. Fuel Allowance, currently €33 per week, is paid from the end of September to April each year for 28 weeks.

For operational reasons the payment of Fuel Allowance by lump sum is not available to CE participants. The payment arrangements in place between my department and CE sponsoring organisations does not support the payment of a lump sum for CE participants.

However, as part of the Government’s €505 million package aimed at mitigating the effects of rising energy costs an additional one-off payment of €125 was paid in early March to those in receipt of a Fuel Allowance, including CE participants.

The Department keeps all aspects of its employment and activation programmes under review to ensure that they have the best outcomes for participants. I am fully committed to the future of CE and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of participants.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.