CE Scheme and payments

m'lady

I am looking into this for a friend.. Anyway she is doing a CE scheme and also on Disability allowance. She has one child. She got talking to another colleague of hers last week and colleague told her she is getting €237.80 for CE scheme as well as lone parents (at a reduced rate of minus €50), my friend is getting €208 and gets Disability allowance (also minus €50).

So she is getting a fair bit less than her counterpart. She called FAS and was told when your are on DA you don't get paid for children in your FAS payment but when on lone parents you do???


This to me seems grossly unfair (and possibly discriminating against those on Disability Allowance).

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this?

Thanks in advance.

Lugh Ildanach

As far as I know the CE rate that you get is determined by who you were claiming for on your principle payment and same rules apply to Disability Allowance as One Parent Family Payment recipients.

If the Disability Allowance claim includes payment for the children, then the CE payment should also. The reduction of the payments are calculated in accordance with the relevant payment, which are slightly different. OPFP involves a 146.50 disregard with half the balance being deducted, Disability Allowance disregard is only 120 Euro, with again half the balance being deducted. This would only explain a difference of about 10-15 Euro though.

Is there a partner or spouse involved? If the spouse or partner was working or on a social welfare payment themselves, it may be that the child increase is either not payable or only payable at half rate?

m'lady

Lugh Ildanach wrote: »

As far as I know the CE rate that you get is determined by who you were claiming for on your principle payment and same rules apply to Disability Allowance as One Parent Family Payment recipients.

If the Disability Allowance claim includes payment for the children, then the CE payment should also. The reduction of the payments are calculated in accordance with the relevant payment, which are slightly different. OPFP involves a 146.50 disregard with half the balance being deducted, Disability Allowance disregard is only 120 Euro, with again half the balance being deducted. This would only explain a difference of about 10-15 Euro though.

Is there a partner or spouse involved? If the spouse or partner was working or on a social welfare payment themselves, it may be that the child increase is either not payable or only payable at half rate?

Hi Lugh Ildanach,

Thank you for your reply. Just called her there, and yes she is getting a payment for her child in her disability payment of €29.80 but seems to be only getting a single rate for the CE payment?

There is no spouse involved in either case (her or her colleague). FAS said to her that the social welfare do not allow them to pay for children when a person is in receipt of Disability Allowance but do allow when the person is receiving Lone Parents? This seemed strange to me and I called my local FAS office to confirm this and they did....

Lugh Ildanach

Actually I was wrong in my previous post. I have had it confirmed from FAS that an increase for adult or child Dependent is NOT paid by them for CE if the qualifying payment was a disability linked payment (Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance). The basis for this is that payment for the adult and/or child is made on the Disability payment, and is not doubled on CE.

This is different from One Parent Family Payment where a double payment for any children is received.

Of course for those qualifying from Jobseekers, they receive no double payment, as they lose their qualifying payment when they go on CE.

I'm not sure it would qualify as discrimination (the payments are based on different criteria, and those on a disability allowance are ostensibly not permitted to work, unless it is on a rehabilative basis), and a disabled single parent could go on One Parent Family Payment if they chose to do so, but it is interesting to note the different rates that people receive on CE. According to my calcuations

- Single person qualifying from JA/JB with one child dependent gets 237.80
- Single person in receipt of DA with one child dependent gets 381.80
- Single person in receipt of OPFP with one child dependent gets 415.60

If you have concerns about this possibly constituting discrimination, you should speak to Equality Authority or someone in FLAC about taking a case. Of course, the days of double payments for disability and lone parent CE participants may be numbered!

caroilne.49

hiya im looking for help for myself. I am on c.e and one parent family payment but one parent of €175.30 has been stoped i get €208 only. my doughter is 17 and only goin into leaven cert this year. i live in clud houseing on a set rent of €78.00 dont now what to do am i not to get paid any more even tho my child is still in full time school ......

benotoole

Hi , does anyone know if while doing a CE SCHEME u can be told to work weekends . A friend recently started and has been told she must work 1 weekend a month and receive 2 weekdays off instead. I thought it quite strange but dont know for sure, any info would be greatly received

Annasopra

benotoole wrote: »

Hi , does anyone know if while doing a CE SCHEME u can be told to work weekends . A friend recently started and has been told she must work 1 weekend a month and receive 2 weekdays off instead. I thought it quite strange but dont know for sure, any info would be greatly received

It depends on the the fontract that she signed

benotoole

Its not a job, its a scheme. No contract was signed

danjo-xx

benotoole wrote: »

Hi , does anyone know if while doing a CE SCHEME u can be told to work weekends . A friend recently started and has been told she must work 1 weekend a month and receive 2 weekdays off instead. I thought it quite strange but dont know for sure, any info would be greatly received

Many ce schemes require you to do weekend work, I think legally no one should be asked to work later than 9pm.

What your friend was offered sounds very reasonable and above board.

m'lady

After working with people doing ce schemes I can tell you that firstly a contract would have been signed to do the scheme, and secondly they can get you to do the hours they want you for, and perhaps if they are unsocial hours/Sundays can give you time in lieu.

In my opinion the whole scheme is centred around the employer, and what they want, and what suits them- this is obviously my opinion and not fact.

benotoole

Many thanks for ur replys, i maybe mistaken about contract.
I totally agree about scheme being designed around the "employers" needs.....
So is it a thing that the employer gets free labour?

Annasopra

benotoole wrote: »

Its not a job, its a scheme. No contract was signed

I know what CE is. I did CE myself and signed a contract outlining the terms of employment.

Annasopra

m'lady wrote: »

After working with people doing ce schemes I can tell you that firstly a contract would have been signed to do the scheme, and secondly they can get you to do the hours they want you for, and perhaps if they are unsocial hours/Sundays can give you time in lieu.

In my opinion the whole scheme is centred around the employer, and what they want, and what suits them- this is obviously my opinion and not fact.

You would have to agree to it if it is in your contract or not.

Annasopra

benotoole wrote: »

So is it a thing that the employer gets free labour?

Basically yes and employee gets paid 208 euro per week

m'lady

mango salsa wrote: »

You would have to agree to it if it is in your contract or not.

Yes of course you'd have to agree to it (by signing it), however it would normally be worded that you agree to do days/hours required by the employer, wouldn't have it stated that it's weekends. However I'd have thought it would have been mentioned at the interview stage..

LegacyUser

Hi ya I'm looking for help I'm on disability allowance and going to be doing a ce scheme soon and would anyone be able to tell me what the real payment is I'm on 188 as is and was told my disability will be taken off me for the time I'm doing the ce scheme and ill be put back on it when I'm finished ....

danjo-xx

jacinta madigan wrote: »

Hi ya I'm looking for help I'm on disability allowance and going to be doing a ce scheme soon and would anyone be able to tell me what the real payment is I'm on 188 as is and was told my disability will be taken off me for the time I'm doing the ce scheme and ill be put back on it when I'm finished ....

An adult gets €208 pw plus a bit extra for any children. Think its €13.20 each

Col240483

Hi, just wondering if the payment on a CE scheme is means tested? If you were getting less than €208 a week on unemployment, would you get the same amount on a scheme.
Many thanks

Gatling

Col240483 wrote: »

Hi, just wondering if the payment on a CE scheme is means tested? If you were getting less than €208 a week on unemployment, would you get the same amount on a scheme.
Many thanks

208 + 20 would be your ce payment

nothing

From
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment_and_redundancy/employment_support_schemes/community_employment_scheme.html

The minimum weekly payment for new participants based on 19.5 hours worked is €225.50 with effect from the week beginning 25 March 2019.

If the actual social welfare payment (including dependants) you were getting was €203 a week or less, then you will get the minimum CE weekly rate of €225.50 (that is €203 plus €22.50).

If your actual weekly social welfare payment (including dependants) was €203 or more, then you will get the same rate as your social welfare payment plus €22.50.