Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 18 Feb 1993

Vol. 426 No. 3

Written Answers. - Unemployment Trend.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

13 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the proposals, if any, he has to reduce the numbers on the live register by a nett 35,000 in 1993; the financial or economic provisions or incentives he proposes in order to achieve this reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. Quinn)

The Programme for a Partnership Government has clearly identified Ireland's biggest challenge as the need to increase the number of sustainable jobs in the economy and to reverse the rising trend of unemployment. Meeting this challenge will clearly require fundamental changes in attitude and behaviour in this country.

The Government have established a number of new Departments as a clear indication of the type of change we want to bring about in our economy and our society generally. The establishment of my own Department — the Department of Enterprise and Employment — provides a new focus on an old problem. In conjunction with the Department of Finance, which has overall responsibility for management of the economy, the new Department will have a central role to play in helping market-led enterprises to establish, develop, and grow in employment terms.

Employment creation can be supported and encouraged by the State. However, the real work of finding and exploiting job creating opportunities comes down to the entrepreneur, whether in the private or public sectors. The importance of enterprise has been highlighted by placing it first in the name of the new Department of Enterprise and Employment. The new Department will endeavour to set in place structures that will identify and nurture a spirit of enterprise in relation to job creation that will benefit all of our citizens in all areas of the country.

As regards structural measures to increase employment opportunities, I will be focusing on two main areas: (i) implementations of the Culliton report; (ii) the County Enterprise Partnership Boards.

In the more immediate term, I am very aware that the long term unemployed are in danger of becoming permanently excluded from the workforce if there is not active State intervention. The Social Employment Scheme is the primary manpower intervention aimed at helping the long term unemployed aged 25 years or over re-enter the active workforce while assisting voluntary groups and public sector bodies to do worthwhile work which they would not otherwise have undertaken. It is proposed to provide an average of 13,500 places on the scheme in 1993.

The Employment Incentive Scheme is also targeted at the long term unemployed as well as early school leavers and disadvantaged persons. It is proposed to provide about 1,400 places on the scheme in 1993.

FÁS offers a wide variety of training programmes which cater for all unemployed groups including the long term unemployed. More especially, FÁS runs an Alternance Programme which is specifically targeted at the long term unemployed aged 25 years or over and those people wishing to return to the labour market after a prolonged absence. FÁS also operates a pilot Long Term Unemployed Initiative under which older long term unemployed persons in Tallaght, Dublin Inner City and Cork City North are placed in education, training and employment. The assistance of the Co-operative Development Unit of FÁS is also available to unemployed persons with an interest in co-operative development. In total FÁS expects to provide some 14,000 training places in 1993.

The Programme for a Partnership Government also provides for a number of responses to the problem of long term unemployment. The Programme provides for an increase in the level of targeted wage subsidies for those on the Live Register for a year or more. The aim will be the permanent re-integration of long term unemployed people back into the workforce.

We are also seeking EC funding for the period 1994-1999 for a new Community Employment Development Programme which will represent a major initiative by this Government to assist the long term unemployed. The programme, which will replace the Social Employment Scheme, will provide opportunities to long term unemployed people to undertake work of value to their local communities. As well as ongoing work of social value, the programme will include work related to tourism and small infrastructure-type developments. Participants will also engage in some training while working on the programme, further enhancing their prospects of finding permanent employment. The aim will be to move towards a participation level of 30,000 each year.