asked the Minister for Labour if the commitment given to the Stoneybatter and District Youth and Community Council in June 1986, to allow them to employ 20 people and one full time supervisor will be honoured under the social employment scheme.
Written Answers. - Social Employment Schemes.
469.
There are, at present, eleven workers and one full time supervisor employed on the Stoneybatter and District Youth and Community Council project under the social employment scheme. Due to the success of the scheme the Government's target of 10,000 participants was surpassed in June of this year and the budget is committed. As a result, participation quotas have been assigned to each of the National Manpower Service regions. As the number of participants has to be maintained within these quotas, I regret that it is not possible to increase the numbers employed on the Stoneybatter project at present. The matter is, however, under constant review by the National Manpower Service.
470.
asked the Minister for Labour if he will give details of social employment schemes approved for County Donegal during 1986.
Statistics relating to the social employment scheme are compiled on the basis of National Manpower Service regions.
Details on individual counties will be available as soon as the records of the scheme are fully computerised. In the north west region, which encompasses counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, there are currently 233 projects in operation employing 1,397 persons.
471.
asked the Minister for Labour if it is his intention in view of the very high rate of unemployment in the north west to seek an increase in the allocation for the social employment scheme for these areas.
The ambitious target of 10,000 participants set by the Government for the social employment scheme was surpassed in June 1986 and the budget is committed. It has become necessary, therefore to maintain rather than increase participation levels. Accordingly, participant quotas have now been assigned to each of the National Manpower Service regions, whereby recruitment to the scheme may occur only where sufficient participants are terminating their period of employment under the scheme.
The north west region of the National Manpower Service encompasses counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. There are currently 233 social employment scheme projects operating in the region employing 1,397 persons which represents 15 per cent of the total participation in the scheme. There are no plans at present to increase the SES allocation for the north west or any other region.
472.
asked the Minister for Labour if he will give details of the numbers employed in social employment schemes in Limerick city and county since the introduction of the scheme; the amount of wages paid to those employed and the amount of Government grants paid to the projects concerned.
Social employment scheme statistics on an individual county basis will be available as soon as the records system for the scheme is fully computerised. At present information is only available on the basis of National Manpower Service regions.
Limerick city and county are part of the National Manpower Service's midwest region, which also comprises counties Clare and Limerick (NR).
Participation on the SES reached a peak of 1,116 persons in the mid west region in August 1986. Approximately £5.9 million has been allocated in respect of wages, materials and supervision to projects in the region. At present there are 894 people employed in 249 projects in the region.
473.
asked the Minister for Labour the reason a social employment scheme project has not been sanctioned for a primary school (details supplied) in County Wexford in view of the fact that a written commitment was given by the NMS that they could commence on 1 September.
The application in question was approved in December 1985. However, the sponsors decided, at their own initiative, not to proceed with recruitment at that time. At a later stage the sponsors indicated their intention of starting the project on 1 September 1986. No written commitment to commence on that date was given by the National Manpower Service of my Department.
Due to the success of the scheme the budget is committed. In the circumstances, participation quotas for each of the eight manpower regions had to be introduced last June. As a result, it had not been possible to start any new projects in the south east region pending the completion of existing ones. I am happy to be able to inform the House, however, that it is now possible to recruit persons to the social employment scheme in the south east within these quota restrictions. The post in question is one of a number in respect of which permission to proceed will be granted immediately.