THE Department of Social Protection has not committed to increasing the Community Employment (CE) scheme top-up to €50, saying any further changes would need to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
At the September meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) called on the Minister for Social Protection to increase the weekly top-up for CE scheme participants from €32.50 to a minimum of €50 and broaden the eligibility criteria for the scheme.
In a written Notice of Motion, Cllr Garrihy said the changes would encourage more people to take up CE positions and help provide workers for community services.
Cllr Pat Hayes (FF), who seconded the motion, said the existing top-up was not an incentive for people to move from social welfare onto the scheme.
Referring to the current €32.50 weekly top-up, Cllr Hayes also highlighted the number of older workers retiring from CE schemes and said there were not enough new people coming onto them.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) supported the motion, recalling his time as a school principal and describing the CE scheme as an “amazing system” that helped improve the areas around schools.
Cllr Killeen said the additional top-up was not sufficient to encourage people to take up CE positions.
In correspondence circulated in advance of the October meeting of the council, the Department of Social Protection confirmed that the top-up increased by €5 in January 2026 as part of Budget 2026, bringing it to €32.50 per week.
Alongside a €10 increase in weekly social welfare rates, this brought the minimum weekly payment for CE participants from €271.50 to €286.50, effective from January 1, 2026.
The payment received by CE participants is based on their underlying social welfare entitlement, which depends on their household composition and financial circumstances. Participants may also qualify for additional payments for a qualified adult, qualified children or the Fuel Allowance.
At the end of August 2026, there were 19,445 participants and 1,227 supervisors employed through CE across 802 sponsor organisations. The scheme’s 2026 budget is €415m.
The Department also outlined changes made to support CE sponsors with recruitment and retention, including allowing participants who reach 60 years of age to remain on the scheme until they reach State pension age.
Other measures include flexibility for sponsors to retain existing participants where a replacement cannot immediately be recruited, extending eligibility to adult dependants of people receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance, and a pilot scheme for people aged over 50 receiving credits or a combination of credits and Jobseeker’s Benefit.
The general eligibility rule requires applicants to have been in receipt of qualifying payments for at least 12 months. Exceptions apply to certain groups considered among the most vulnerable in society, including people from the Traveller or Roma communities and people with addiction issues or who have recently been released from prison.
The correspondence stated that the Minister was committed to the future of the programme, highlighting the contribution CE participants make to local services, including amenities, arts and culture, sport, Tidy Towns, childcare and health-related services.
The Community Employment scheme aims to help people who are long-term unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged return to work through temporary placements in local communities. Participants generally work 19.5 hours per week and receive a payment based on their social welfare entitlement, along with the top-up.
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