Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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462. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address the anomaly in the Budget 2023 proposals in which participants on community employment schemes will receive a €5 increase per week; if she will increase this payment to €12 per week in line with all other social welfare recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53190/22]

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. Participation on the scheme is part time - 19.5 hours per week.

Currently payment rates on CE are related to the underlying value of certain social protection payments plus €22.50 per week - with a minimum payment of €230.50 per week to participants. In addition, a participant may be eligible for payments in respect of any qualified dependent adult and children.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that following the announcement of the details of Budget 2023, CE participants will benefit in two ways. In the first instance, they will receive an increase in weekly payments arising from the increase in core social welfare payments of €12 per week. Secondly, they will benefit from the increase in the weekly CE allowance of €5, bringing that ‘uplift’ payment from €22.50 per week up to €27.50 per week. In effect, these changes will ensure that the minimum payment for participants will increase from €230.50 per week to €247.50 per week from January 2023.

Additionally, there will be proportional increases for qualified adults and people on reduced rates of payment. The weekly payments for qualified child dependents will increase by €2 to €50 for children aged 12 or over and to €40 for children aged up to 12. These increases will also benefit eligible CE participants.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.