Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 1997

Vol. 478 No. 7

Written Answers - Community Employment Schemes.

Seán Haughey

Question:

203 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment his views on the position of many women who have worked in the home and, therefore, do not have credits, paid contributions or a social welfare payment of any kind, thus ensuring that they are not eligible for FÁS courses or community employment schemes; his views on whether such people are classified as non-persons; if he will intervene to rectify this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12239/97]

Minister for Enterprise and Employment (Mr. R. Bruton)

FÁS training programmes are open to all persons who are unemployed and seeking work. Priority of access is, however, given to persons on the live register, regardless of their gender.

The community employment programme is targeted at a particular severely disadvantaged group of unemployed people, i.e. those registered long-term unemployed whose principal or only source of income is an unemployment compensation payment or certain other social welfare means tested payments. Limited resources, unfortunately, do not make it possible to provide CE for all unemployed people. It is necessary, therefore, to target the programme at those most in need. The eligibility criteria for CE is in my view a fair, objective and cost effective way of achieving that target.

To satisfy the eligibility criteria, persons with children who are in receipt of survivor's contributory pension or deserted wives benefit can apply to transfer to one parent family payment to become eligible to participate in CE. In addition, a married unemployed person who meets the eligibility criteria for CE can transfer that eligibility to his-her spouse, who is not on the live register, for that person to qualify for participation on CE.

The eligibility criteria for CE only came into effect last year following a detailed review of CE and in response to the recommendations of the task force on long-term unemployment. They were designed to target the programme at those priority groups already referred to. I have no plans at present to widen the eligibility criteria. However, I do of course keep all programmes under constant scrutiny in so far as their objectives and effectiveness are concerned.

With regard to female participation generally on FÁS programmes, I would point out that since 1990, FÁS has developed an action programme for women to maximise the participation of women in all of its programmes and as a result there has been a significant growth in the level of participation by women in FÁS programmes. In 1996, 43 per cent of those who completed a FÁS training programme or a community employment programme were women. FÁS has also been providing courses such as return to work and enterprise training, which have a high proportion of female participation particularly among home makers. In 1996, 1,083 women participated in the return to work scheme and 732 women participated in the enterprise training scheme. In a further response to the need for flexibility in this area, FÁS had advised me that they are currently undertaking a pilot initiative aimed at developing and testing new ways of delivering training for women. This initiative, which is being piloted under the NOW, new opportunities for women, programme, aims to provide locally-based training in partnership with community groups. This training is delivered in a flexible manner to suit the needs and circumstances of participants.

FÁS is also very conscious of the need for child care facilities for women returning to work, and contributes over £5 million per annum to community based child care provision by way of support for community employment projects. Over 130 community employment projects have such a child care dimension. Many of these facilities provide community based child care for women undertaking training or education and for participants on community employment.

The Partnership 2000 agreement provides for the establishment of a working party, representative of Departments and the social partners, to examine the question of equal access by women to labour market opportunities including training, education and employment programmes. It is expected that this working group will be established in the near future.