asked the Minister for Labour if he will ensure that the Wexford area will be included in the appointment of community enterprise employment officers under the Youth Employment Agency.
Written Answers. - Youth Employment Agency.
605.
The aim of the Community and Youth Enterprise Programme, which is being launched by the Youth Employment Agency, is to stimulate voluntary youth and community groups at local level to take direct steps to create economically sustainable employment. Under the Programme, the agency will provide grant aid to eligible local groups to meet the costs of employing a full-time enterprise worker, as well as associated overhead and project development costs. Local sponsoring groups will be responsible for the selection and management of the enterprise workers, subject to certain guidelines laid down by the agency. The programme will operate initially on a pilot basis for one year. It is envisaged that about 30 enterprise workers will be employed by local sponsoring groups in this period. In the pilot period, the agency will aim to support a wide range of projects spread across the country.
The agency is already in touch with a number of local groups around the country, including the Wexford area, and an initial brochure discussing the main features of the programme has been issued to these groups.