Vol. 535 No. 3
78 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the total number of people on community employment schemes; the number of people on extended time on such schemes; the longest extended time granted to people on community employment schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12594/01]
The current number of participants on community employment is 33,385. Participation on CE is normally for a period of one to three years depending on the person's age and unemployment status.
Participants aged 25 years or older and 12 months unemployed are provided with 12 months work experience on the programme and 10% of participants in this category may receive an extension for a further 12 months.
Short duration extensions may be permitted where people are awaiting commencement of a training course or a job or in other exceptional circumstances. These extensions are not recorded separately by FÁS as they can be of variable length and will occur based on local regional needs.
