Vol. 562 No. 1
387 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of money being made available to the respective health boards to allow for the mainstreaming of community employment scheme workers in 2003; the total number of community employment workers that were employed by the respective health boards prior to mainstreaming; the total number now mainstreamed in the respective health boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5418/03]
The Government is very much aware of the important contribution that the community employment, CE, programme has made to the development of services for local communities over the years and the difficulties that now arise for sponsor organisations in the voluntary and community sector due to the reduction in the level of funding available for the programme. In this context a cross departmental senior officials group has been asked to consider options for the future of CE, taking account of the link with the provision of community services. In addition the PPF mandated review of active market labour programmes is being progressed under the aegis of the standing committee on the labour market, chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. FÁS is also currently undertaking an internal review of CE and the job initiative programme which should be finalised shortly. The outcome of these various initiatives will inform the Government's consideration of options for the future deliver of community services and the appropriate levels of CE for the future.
The overall economic position in 2003 has had implications for all aspects of public investment, and this is reflected in the Estimates and budget adopted by the Government for 2003. Pending the outcome of the various reviews outlined above, no money has been allocated to health boards in 2003 for the mainstreaming of CE scheme workers and no CE scheme workers providing health services have been mainstreamed to date.
The CE scheme workers on health related schemes are not employed directly by health boards but by sponsor organisations in the community and voluntary sector. Following the current reviews of the CE programme the number of workers to be mainstreamed will be determined.
