Vol. 504 No. 7
115 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has any responsibility to identify areas of high unemployment with a view to prescribing operational measures in terms of retraining or other means of addressing the job creation needs of these areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12870/99]
My primary responsibility in the area of unemployment is to ensure that unemployed and long-term unemployed persons have access to quality employment services and to training and employment programmes which will enhance the prospects of getting a job. Within the range of programmes there is targeting but this is generally by category of person, e.g. persons who are very long-term unemployed and over 35, rather than by geographical area. However there are 25 local employment service networks in operation, 23 of them in partnership areas. Their brief is to concentrate on persons at greatest remove from the labour market. Currently we are bringing the FÁS employment service and the local employment service networks more closely together so they can deliver an optimal range of services to Jobseekers. Since September 1998 we have complemented our programmes for long-term unemployed persons by a policy of systematic activation to prevent unemployed persons drifting into long-term unemployment.
FÁS is organised on a regional basis and the training and bridging programmes they provide reflect regional needs. Since 1998 FÁS has been implementing an action plan for the long-term unemployed which seeks to increase their participation in mainstream training. In so far as employment measures are concerned the thrust of the 1999 budget is to shift resources from employment programmes to training programmes with better employment outcomes.
Partnerships have been established in 38 areas of recognised disadvantage to pursue local development issues, including employment. The Minister for Tourism, Recreation and Sport, has policy responsibility for the partnerships. His Department has also developed an integrated services project in four particular employment blackspots.
The Minister for Finance has primary policy responsibility for the national development plan 2000-2006 (NDP). This will out development priorities, funding and expenditure for the period in question, including plans for investment in human resources. The NDP will also make proposals for the utilisation of Structural Funds and will serve as the basis for agreement of the Community Support Framework and agreement and elaboration of operational programmes.
