Thousands to lose out on community job schemes

THOUSANDS of people who could have benefited from community employment (CE) schemes are no longer eligible due to Government cutbacks.

Under budget proposals, a weekly average of 3,860 people will have their jobseekers’ benefit cut from 12 months to nine months, rendering them ineligible for CE schemes.

To qualify for the schemes — operated by FÁS and aimed at helping the long-term unemployed — potential candidates have to be in receipt of a payment for 12 consecutive months.

Labour spokeswoman on social and family affairs Roisín Shortall TD said this was a “double whammy” for people.

“Not only is the period in which they can claim reduced, but now it means they won’t qualify for CE,” she said. “At a time when unemployment is rising, this doesn’t make sense.”

Ms Shortall said the whole area needed to be rethought, as despite increasing unemployment, there are no plans to increase the number of places on the schemes.

“In recent years, the numbers for CE went down in line with employment rates, but now people need to be trained and up-skilled in the time they are not working.

“I think the vast majority of people would prefer to be doing something. CE is in everybody’s interests, as those on it are working for the community’s gain too.”

Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin also confirmed yesterday that some jobseekers will not be able to claim back to education allowance due to changes in the duration of jobseeker payments. She said the department is looking at ways of addressing this, but could not give any indication as to what will happen or the numbers affected.

A spokesperson for the department of Social and Family Affairs said the changes to the duration of the payment of jobseeker’s benefit were necessary to control expenditure on the scheme and that the changes are designed to ensure a uniform, rationalised, approach across the short-term social insurance schemes.

Another effect of the welfare budget cuts means that up to 48,000 current claimants of jobseekers’ benefit stand to lose three months worth of benefit — or more than €2,600 each — but they have not yet been warned.

The cutback affects everyone claiming jobseekers’ benefit for less than three months on budget night (October 14), and most who were claiming it for less than six months.

“Minister Hanafin also confirmed that the proposal will start to impact on claimants from mid-April but that, to date, no action had been taken to warn applicants of the proposed change,” said Ms Shortall.

“The proposals themselves are cold-hearted and merciless, but the inaction of the minister in warning existing applicants is unforgivable. €2,600 is a lot of money out of anyone’s pocket but it represents a huge proportion of the income of a jobseeker claimant.”

Ms Shortall said the department should be taking steps to inform people of what is being proposed.

“This measure particularly affects two-income couples where, in most circumstances, the income from one spouse will mean that the unemployed spouse will not receive any assistance after the jobseeker payment runs out. The measure has particular consequences for the ability of such couples to fund large mortgages.”