The Minister for Finance announced in budget 2005 on 1 December 2004 that he was providing €5 million for the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to support the development of community services in disadvantaged areas and to complement the contribution of workers employed for service delivery under the social economy and job initiative programmes operated by FÁS. These moneys are over and above the amount provided in the 2005 Estimates for FÁS employment schemes, which is €367.8 million. FÁS employment programmes, which comprise community employment, social economy and job initiative, are being maintained at their existing level in 2005 at 25,000 places.