385. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked 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]

386. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked 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]

387. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked 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]

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.