Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020
478. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on changes to the community employment scheme over the past three years; the improvements being made to the scheme; the number of participants on community employment schemes in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39863/20]
View answerThe Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
The Department undertook a series of nationwide consultation workshops with a number of CE scheme sponsoring authorities during May and June of 2017. As part of these consultations, potential changes to the eligibility criteria were discussed and a number of viable changes were implemented thereafter.
A number of new conditions were introduced to the CE scheme in July 2017 in order to further support progression to employment, broaden CE access to a wider range of people and to standardise the conditions relating to the length of time a CE participant can remain on a CE scheme.
The general qualifying age for CE for those on the Live Register was reduced from 25 to 21 years.
It was also made easier for former CE participants, who had exhausted their CE entitlement, to re-qualify for CE as participation prior to the year 2007 was to be disregarded. There is an overall limit of 6 years participation from 2007 (7 years if on a disability payment).
While CE participants between 21 and 55 years are entitled to one year on the programme, this can be extended by up to 2 more years if they are engaged in a recognised training or education award that is helping them progress towards employment. All CE participants age 55 and over can avail of 3 consecutive years on a CE scheme.
In July 2017, the Department introduced a new Service Support Stream (SSS) which enabled those aged over 62 years to extend their participation beyond the normal participation limits on CE. CE participants aged over 62 years are allowed to participate on a continuous basis up to the State Pension age on SSS subject to the availability of places, satisfactory performance on the CE scheme and, annual approval by the Department.
Since the 1st June 2018, persons attending a JobPath provider can also take up a placement on CE, thus combining the strengths of the two programmes. In particular, it enables those people with the JobPath service to not only continue to receive the personalised employment counselling and job search support provided by their JobPath personal advisors but also, to avail of a CE placement which provides valuable occupational activity and work experience.
The annual budget provided to CE schemes includes an amount to cover consumable services and materials, necessary for the effective operation of the project. As part of Budget 2019, the materials budget available for CE was increased by €2 million and, as part of Budget 2020, additional funding of €2 million was made available for CE training purposes. The 2020 CE Budget is €364 million, an increase of almost €11 million above the 2019 expenditure of €353.36 million.
At the end of February 2020, prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, there were 21,131 participants on CE. At the end of October 2020 there were 19,244 CE participants on CE. Once Covid-19 restrictions begin to be lifted there will be a renewed focus, by my Department, on identifying long-term unemployed candidates for available CE vacancies and to make available the additional places provided for under the July Jobs Stimulus.
I am fully committed to the future of CE and will continue to support and improve CE for the benefit of the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities.
