I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 19a, 26a, 39a, 39b, 54a, 56a and 63 together.
Community employment which will commence on 1 March 1994 is a developmental and social employment programme which will both subsume and constitute a qualitative upgrading of the existing social employment scheme, the Community Employment Development Programme and Teamwork. There were 23,876 participants on these three programmes at the end of December 1993 who will transfer as appropriate to the new programme and the target is to increase this number to 40,000 by the end of the year. Community employment will build on the experience and strengths of the three existing programmes and will provide part-time work opportunities in areas such as community services and other necessary activities for persons who may not otherwise be likely to enter gainful employment.
The programme will give participants a better chance to compete for long term jobs as they become available by enabling them to stay in touch with the labour market, practise work skills and learn new skills. Development modules will be phased in over 1994-95 for participants on projects of 11 participants or more and amalgamation of smaller projects to reach this level will be facilitated by FÁS. Development modules will include personal-employment skills, technical skills relating to project work and support for own time development.
Community employment will be open to persons 21 years or over in receipt of unemployment assistance, persons in receipt of unemployment benefit for over one year, persons in receipt of lone parent's allowance for over one year and other special categories such as those referred by the National Rehabilitation Board. Eligibility is not restricted to persons on the live register although it is likely that the bulk of participants will come from the live register.
The Deputies can be assured that the operation of the programme will be kept under review to determine if it is meeting its objectives of assisting persons who are long term unemployed regain a foothold in the labour market having regard to economic conditions generally.