Vol. 438 No. 2
4 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the number of participants on community enterprise development programmes who have had their period extended as a result of the decision communicated by the Department of Enterprise and Employment in mid-November 1993; and the average period of extension granted.
5 Mr. Gregory asked the Taoiseach if he intends to grant a six months extension to participants on the community enterprise development programme who are due to end their 12 months work experience at the end of February 1994, as was done for those who finished in recent months.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together.
It is expected that by the end of January 1994, 710 people on CEDP will have had their participation level extended by up to six months.
The question of a further extension does not arise as details have been announced in the budget of a new programme — community employment — which will replace the social employment scheme, community employment development programme and teamwork in March 1994.
Community employment builds on the strengths and experience of these programmes. The main features of the new programme are: participants may be recruited initially for one year but may be re-engaged by sponsors for a second year if they are key participants, they would benefit from continued participation in terms of additional training and development and if there are no other eligible suitable participants available.
Older participants employed for more than three years may be able to participate for up to three years and 25 per cent of places will be reserved for the older unemployed. There will be an average of 25 days' training, with a minimum of 15 days, provided in the first year. Additional training will be provided for those retained in the second year.
In addition all participants with a previous entitlement will retain secondary and other benefits.
The new programme will cost an additional £35.3 million in 1994.
Will the Taoiseach agree that statistics on the outcome of such programmes show that 85 per cent of people who participated are still unemployed a year after leaving the programme? Will he also agree that it indicates a need to extend the period of the programme as he initially planned? Why has he decided to cut back to a standard 12 month period? Was it not highly unsatisfactory that having announced there would be an 18 month extension available to all, the Government subsequently reduced it to just 15 months and also brought in a criteria of lack of alternative candidates that made a nonsense of the original welcome extension to 18 months?
The changes are made in the light of the experience of the existing programmes, bringing together all the programmes under one heading which is desirable and widely accepted. There are clear targets. At the end of the programme there will inevitably be people who will not have found work for one reason or another. Reserving 25 per cent of all places for those over 45 and unemployed for three years or more is a recognition of the problem that the older one is the more difficult it is to become reemployed.
Will the Taoiseach clarify one point? Given that all the participants who completed their 12 months at the end of November, December and January were granted an extension of six months if they sought it, what will be the position of similar participants who complete their 12 months at the end of February? Will it be open to them to go onto the new scheme in March? Will it be possible for them to have any further involvement in a scheme or will they simply be dumped back onto the dole queues?
Of course anybody who wishes to apply at end of their period of participation will be considered within the criteria that I have laid out today.
