Benefits for employment-scheme participants
Bell asked about benefit eligibility for people moving between disability and unemployment benefits and those entering employment schemes. The Minister said resources were unavailable for double-week bonuses for some scheme participants and undertook to raise the classification issue with the Social Welfare Minister.
Can I ask the Minister to have a look at the position of people who are on a mixture of different benefits, for example, somebody who had been on disability benefit and is now on unemployment benefit or vice versa, because effectively these people are losing out in qualifying for benefit? Could he also look at the position of people who, because they go on these special employment schemes, will lose such as Christmas bonuses and other benefits they would normally be entitled to if they had stayed on the live register as UA recipients?
Comment on this
There are some difficulties in relation to this. I think it is known that in the course of last year people on training schemes which were directly linked to social welfare increases got the double week bonus but unfortunately resources were not provided last year for people on employment schemes which were not directly linked to social welfare increases and cannot be provided this year for similar cases. I will raise the issue referred to by Deputy Proinsias De Rossa with the Minister for Social Welfare. I cannot answer exactly how they are categorised but I will raise that matter with the Minister for Social Welfare.