Vol. 471 No. 7
341 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons who have taken up the back-to-work scheme promoted by his Department; and the plans, if any, he has to extend this scheme in view of the fact that it has been so successful. [22036/96]
The back to work allowance was introduced in September 1993 as part of my Department's programme of initiatives designed to encourage the long-term unemployed to return to the active labour force. The scheme has proved to be a worthwhile initiative with over 15,000 persons currently in receipt of the weekly allowance. I expect that this number will have increased to around 16,000 by the end of the year.
I recently announced a further increase in the number of places available under the scheme to 17,000. This is a significant increase on the number of places which was available when the scheme commenced in 1993, which was 3,000. I will keep the present limit under review to ensure that there are adequate places available on the scheme for persons who are genuinely interested in returning to the labour market.
