Vol. 472 No. 1
287 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he will report on the justification for not allowing certain married women to participate in community employment programmes in view of the fact that they are signing on, available for work, unemployed for over 12 months and actively seeking work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22585/96]
I take it the Deputy is referring to those signing on the live register but not in receipt of an unemployment compensation payment.
Community Employment (CE) is designed primarily to prevent marginalisation among long-term unemployed people whose principal or only source of income is a social welfare payment. Its objective is to provide temporary work experience opportunities together with some training that would enhance the employment prospects of those at whom the programme is targeted.
The present eligibility criteria for CE only came into effect earlier this year following a detailed review of CE and in response to the recommendations of the Task Force on Long-Term Unemployment. These criteria were designed to target the programme at priority groups and include provision for married unemployed persons to swop their social welfare entitlement in order to qualify for participation in the programme.
I have no plans to widen the eligibility criteria to include additional categories such as those not in receipt of a social welfare payment at present. CE is operating at, or close to capacity, relative to available resources, and to extend eligibility would be at the expense of the priority groups for whom the programme is designed.
