asked the Minister for Finance if it is proposed to abolish the SESO as such; and if so, what alternative arrangements, are proposed to safeguard workers' employment, and to continue to provide the present service to the community.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Special Employment Schemes Office.
9.
There has been no decision to abolish the Special Employment Schemes Office. It has however been found necessary to reduce the provision for the Office for the coming year and in order to ensure that the available funds will be used for the most needed works, and to avoid excessive overheads, it has been decided to merge the Minor Employment Schemes and Bog Development Schemes in the Rural Improvements Scheme. For the future, therefore, grants for accommodation and bog roads and minor drainage works will be available only under the Rural Improvements Scheme. Persons seeking grants for works of this kind may now make application under that Scheme.
The reduced provision for 1966-67 unavoidably involves a reduction in the amount of employment of a casual nature provided by the office. It is however considered essential in present circumstances that the criterion in the allocation of grants for these minor schemes should be the usefulness of the works in themselves.