More support needed for scheme workers –Feeley

A councillor wants elements of the social welfare system to be reviewed to better support people interested in taking up positions on the Rural Social, Community Employment, or similar schemes.

Fianna Fáil's John Paul Feeley wants the review to take account of incentives to work but also the potential criminal history of applicants.

He said there were people “in and out of courts” regularly who did not contribute to society. “A small element seem to get away from any obligation to society and still are in receipt of social welfare.”

Cllr Feeley pointed out that the unemployment rate is currently tracking at close to 4%, a common marker of full employment, and yet he said the country was “effectively subsidising criminals in every community in the country".

It was his belief that the “onus” should be on the Department for Social Protection to run background checks to see if long-term unemployed people and also those convicted of criminal activity were, at the very least, trying to engage with back to work programmes.

Cllr Feeley suggested it was time to “draw a line” on such behaviour.

Party colleague Clifford Kelly supported the motion, saying that Community Employment Schemes facilitate incredible work in towns and villages. However, it's becoming “harder to get” willing participants.

“They do tremendous work,” said Cllr Kelly, who lamented the level of compensation each receives for the work. The “top up” to their social welfare is not enough, he feels, and should be more.

Fine Gael's TP O'Reilly agreed that a “more collaborative” approach is needed and, in the case of people committing crimes while long-term unemployed, there needs to be system to “reduce their welfare”.

Independent Shane P. O'Reilly said the only payment people on CE schemes really got was a return in the sense of “civic pride”.

The work they do he said was “incredible” but often overlooked in a national context.

He described the situation in which “habitual offenders” could be in receipt of welfare, commit a crime and still receive social welfare, only to return out into street and commit further offences as “ridiculous”.

It was his opinion that people with more than 40 prior convictions should be made pay for legal representation out of their own pocket.

“It has to stop,” said Cllr O'Reilly. “One way to get a person to change their ways is to hit them in the pocket.”

Winston Bennett (FG) agreed and supported calls to refer the matter to Minister Heather Humphreys' office.