Written Answers. - Community Employment Schemes.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:
106
Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
when the draft report prepared by a consultancy firm (details supplied) on the overall appraisal of active labour market programmes provided for in framework IV, section 4.2 of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, as referred to in her response to Parliamentary Question No. 151 of 16 October 2002, was received by her Department; if the draft report was circulated to other Departments; the extent to which this report influenced her decision to cut the number of places on community employment by 5000; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[27020/02]
Pat Rabbitte
Question:
114
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
if it is the case as reported that she has recently received a report as commissioned on active labour market programmes sponsored by her Department and its agencies; if she will consider publishing the report; the overall cost of the consultancy; the terms of reference of the consultancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[26744/02]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 106 and 114 together.
The PPF provides for an overall appraisal of active labour market programmes, ALMPs, to be carried out and this work is being undertaken under the aegis of the standing committee on the labour market, which is chaired by my Department. Indecon International Economic Consultants were commissioned by my Department on behalf of the standing committee to facilitate a rigorous assessment of the overall effectiveness of existing programmes, and to help inform the deliberations of the standing committee. This report has recently been finalised by the consultants and submitted to my Department following discussions with a steering group representative of the standing committee. The report was discussed on a preliminary basis with the social partners and Departments represented on the standing committee on 5 December 2002. The standing committee will continue its work on overall appraisal of ALMPs early in the new year, taking due account of the consultant's report.
The consultants were invited to consider and make recommendations on the appropriate active labour market programmes that may contribute in the future to national competitiveness to the maximum extent possible, by increasing labour supply, through the integration of unemployed persons into the labour market; eliminating any remaining disincentives to employment, identifying any gaps or anomalies between various interventions, and securing the fullest possible measure of rationalisation and overall consist ency; re-orienting ALMPs, including the development of the training component of community employment, so that the collective focus will be on the needs of the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups – the long-term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities, travellers, refugees and asylum seekers with permission to work, women, lone parents, dependent spouses, young people who are disadvantaged, ex-offenders – to ensure the emphasis is on progression to, and is relevant to the needs of, the open labour market; future provision to meet the needs of those who are severely disadvantaged in the open labour market for whom ALMP participation is inappropriate, or who may not benefit from participation from enhanced intervention by the employment services under the proposed high support process; placing the emphasis firmly on training and progression, including the enhancement of progression pathways between education, training and the workplace through specific skills training and pre-labour market programmes; cost effectiveness of each programme having regard to, where appropriate, the impact of the national minimum wage; arising from the review, to advise on appropriate data collection systems and benchmarking of progression with a view to effective monitoring and appraisal of the performance of ALMPs; the optimum approach to ensuring that all potential customers – that is, the persons at whom the ALMPs are targeted – are made fully aware of the range of interventions and are encouraged to participate, and to develop new methods of disseminating information, if appropriate; and the appraisal should take account of rural/urban and partnership/non partnership areas differentials. The overall cost of the consultancy work, including value added tax, came to €57,130.75. A decision on publication of the report is a matter for the standing committee in the first instance.
The 2003 Estimates provision will allow for an average participation rate of approximately 22,000 in 2003, which remains a significant level of commitment to community employment given the current level of long-term unemployed. Consideration of appropriate levels of community employment for the future will be informed by the work of the standing committee on the labour market and other reviews of the community employment programme currently under way.
