Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2004
247 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he intends addressing the discrimination preventing married women who, due to the fact that they have not been in receipt of State benefit, are excluded from participating in the jobs initiative programme. [23452/04]
View answer248 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has proposals for reducing the number of years one must be on State benefit from five to three years for persons waiting to take part in the jobs initiative programme. [23453/04]
View answer249 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if widows are excluded from participating in the jobs initiative programme. [23454/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 247 to 249, inclusive, together.
The jobs initiative programme is a work experience programme for persons 35 years of age or older who have been unemployed for five years or longer. Participants are offered temporary full-time employment for a period of three years. The fundamental objective of the programme is to prepare participants to progress into mainstream jobs.
The jobs initiative is a relatively small programme with an average of 2,100 places available in 2004. To date, eligibility has focused on disadvantaged persons removed from the labour market, that is, long-term unemployed persons in receipt of an unemployment payment and lone parents in receipt of the one parent family payment. Spouses of unemployed persons may also qualify. There are no plans to change the eligibility criteria for participation on jobs initiative schemes at present.
