Vol. 504 No. 1
48 Mr. Allen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will review her decision to reduce the level of participation in the community employment schemes by 20 per cent in view of the serious repercussions her decision will have for individuals as well as communities and the fact that community groups are cutting back on their activities as a result of this decision. [11232/99]
I am currently engaged in a thorough consultation with the social partners in regard to the recommendations of the Deloitte and Touche report on the future of the community employment programme. I hope to conclude this process shortly. I have made no decision in regard to these recommendations. However, I fully recognise the value of community employment generally throughout the country. I am particularly conscious of its value at local level, where it assists community and statutory bodies and I will take these factors into account in any decisions I make.
In parallel to the process of consultation currently ongoing the Government in the 1999 Estimates reduced the number of community employment places by 2,500 but introduced a number of new initiatives to provide training and other supports for the unemployed and long-term unemployed in particular. Details of these new initiatives, providing a total of 10,275 places are as follows:
New initiatives in 1999:
|
Places |
Provision |
|
£m |
|
|
1,000 additional specific skills training places for under 25 stock of unemployed (majority likely to be LTU) |
5 |
|
100+ IT mainstreaming training places for LTU |
0.900 |
|
800 Software/electronics training places |
3.2 |
|
4,800 Job Club provision |
2.5 |
|
1,500 LTU Bridging training places |
4.35 |
|
800 Flexible training place provision for Lone Parents |
1.8 |
|
875 Job Initiative places |
4.9 |
|
400 Job Club places for Lone Parents |
0.20 |
|
Value |
22.85 |
