Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Jun 1998

Vol. 492 No. 1

Written Answers. - Community Employment Schemes.

Michael Ring

Question:

46 Mr. Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to abolish the directive that 75 per cent of FÁS community employment workers are let go after one year and replaced by others, as this ruling discriminates against small towns and villages where there are insufficient people to replace those workers laid off; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13629/98]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

The community employment programme was restructured in 1996 to target it better on the long-term unemployed. Two options were introduced within CE: the job option, with 10,000 places open to persons aged 35 or over who have been on the live register for three years, and the reintegration option, with 30,000 places open to persons aged 21 or over who have been on the live register for one year.

In this year's budget the number of places on the job option was increased by 1,000 to 11,000.

The primary purpose of community employment is as an active labour market programme. In other words, itsraison d'etre is to give experience, training and skills to persons who are long-term unemployed so that they can find jobs in the open labour market. The success of community employment is best gauged by the progression rate of participants in to jobs in the open labour market. Apart from the additional 1,000 places allocated to the job option in this year's budget, there are no plans to vary the proportion of places within the overall 41,000 places. Allocation of places under both options is an operational matter for FÁS. The Government is having an independent review of the community employment programme undertaken by Deloitte and Touche and we expect to have the review shortly. It may be that that review will have recommendations on the future scale, duration and targeting of the programme, but any future changes to the programme will only be made on foot of careful examination and consultation.