Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

"Iris Oifigiúil" of 7th October, 2014.

I, JOAN BURTON, Minister for Social Protection, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 4 (amended by section 96 of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 (No. 10 of 2011)) and sections 62B and 141B (inserted by sections 12 and 13 of the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 (No. 20 of 2013)) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005), hereby make the following Regulations:

Citation and construction

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 4) (Prescribed Employment Schemes) Regulations 2014.

(2) These Regulations and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2014 shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2014.

Commencement

2. These Regulations come into operation on 6 October 2014.

Refusal to engage with activation measures

3. The Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 ( S.I. No. 142 of 2007 ) are amended–

(a) in article 50A (inserted by article 2 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 5) (Prescribed Activation Measures) Regulations 2013 ( S.I. No. 259 of 2013 )), by substituting the following sub-article for sub-article (1):

"(1) The following schemes and programmes of employment and work experience are prescribed for the purposes of section 62B–

(a) the scheme provided by the Minister and known as Community Employment,

(b) the scheme administered by the Minister and known as Youth Developmental Internship, and

(c) such other scheme or programme of employment or work experience as may be approved by or on behalf of the Minister from time to time.",

and

(b) in article 120A (inserted by article 2 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 5) (Prescribed Activation Measures) Regulations 2013 ( S.I. No. 259 of 2013 )), by substituting the following sub-article for sub-article (1):

"(1) The following schemes and programmes of employment and work experience are prescribed for the purposes of section 141B–

(a) the scheme provided by the Minister and known as Community Employment,

(b) the scheme administered by the Minister and known as Youth Developmental Internship, and

(c) such other scheme or programme of employment or work experience as may be approved by or on behalf of the Minister from time to time.".

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

2 October 2014.

JOAN BURTON,

Minister for Social Protection.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal representation.)

Sections 12 and 13 of the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 provided for a strengthening of the sanctions which apply in the case of refusals to engage with activation measures, including failure, without good cause, to participate in prescribed employment or work experience programmes and courses of education, training and development.

The Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 5) (Prescribed Activation Measures) Regulations 2013 ( S.I. No. 259 of 2013 ) prescribed the programmes of employment and work experience and the courses of education, training and development to which the strengthened sanctions apply in the case of the Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Allowance schemes.

These Regulations extend the programmes of employment and work experience to which sanctions will apply for failure to participate, without good cause, to include the Youth Developmental Internship scheme, which is being introduced with effect from 6 October 2014.