Community Employment Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 June 2011

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Questions (128, 129)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

136 Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that participation in a FÁS course has the effect of making persons ineligible to apply for Tús community employment supervisor vacancies; her views on whether this penalises persons who have been long-term unemployed and are making every effort to re-enter the labour force including through re-training and upskilling with FÁS; and her further views on whether FÁS training participants who satisfy the other criteria for the Tús supervisor post should be allowed to apply and if she will amend the directives issued to the local area partnerships accordingly. [13748/11]

Ciara Conway

Question:

139 Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the eligibility criteria for the position of Tús supervisors to allow participants on FÁS courses to apply for these positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13773/11]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 139 together.

Tús is a community work placement initiative which will provide up to 5,000 short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. Some €30 million has been provided in the Department's Estimates in 2011 to fund the roll-out of the initiative. This initiative is delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta in Gaeltacht areas. Participants will, in the first instance, be identified by the Department of Social Protection by applying the following conditions:

A person must be unemployed and in receipt of a jobseeker's payment for at least 12 months, and

Currently be in receipt of jobseekers allowance, and

Be fully unemployed.

The purpose of Tús is to focus on those people who are long-term unemployed. For this reason, eligibility is at present confined to those on the Live Register for 12 months and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. These provisions are to ensure a targeted approach to those currently affected by long-term unemployment. Persons already in employment are not eligible for these positions. The operation of the scheme, including eligibility criteria, will be kept under review and will inform the evaluation process in due course.