Vol. 383 No. 5
asked the Minister for Labour the response which his Department made to the development of special programmes for the long-term unemployed in the context of the resolution adopted by the Council of Ministers of Social Affairs of 22 December, 1986 and the subsequent proposals prepared by the Commission of the European Communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
26.
asked the Minister for Labour the reduction that has taken place in the number of long-term unemployed people over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the trend indicated by this reduction.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 26 together.
In the 12 months from April, 1987 to April, 1988, registered long-term unemployment fell from 111,000 to 108,987, a decrease of 2,013 or 1.8 per cent. This is the first year on year decrease since 1979. This reduction is welcome. Nevertheless long-term unemployment is still at an unacceptably high level. I believe that the nature and scale of the problem demands a range of measures to tackle it.
Since the adoption of the Council Resolution in December 1986, a number of new initiatives have been taken to help the long-term unemployed and programmes in existence at that time have been improved and modified. Among the major initiatives was the introduction of the Jobsearch programme in April, 1987. The programme is aimed mainly at the long-term unemployed and integrates the relevant activities of FÁS and the Departments of Social Welfare and Labour.
The programme involves, first, special Jobsearch interviews aimed at helping people to assess their skills and employment needs — approximately 50,000 unemployed persons will be interviewed in 1988; secondly, special Jobsearch training courses incorporating instruction, advice and coaching in job-finding skills — about 1,000 unemployed persons enter these courses each month and thirdly, priority in access to both employment and training programmes and job opportunities — in 1988, about 42,000 unemployed persons will benefit in this area.
A number of initiatives have also been taken by the Minister for Social Welfare, notably the part-time job incentive scheme and the part-time education courses for the unemployed.
It is clear, however, that there is need for a more co-ordinated approach between the income maintenance and active measures being provided by the Department of Social Welfare and the unemployment and training programmes provided by FÁS. For this reason I set up an inter-departmental committee to look at the whole problem and to assess the impact of what we are doing at present. I expect to have the committee's report within a month.
The Deputy will be aware of the priority accorded the long-term unemployed in the reform of the European Community's Structural Funds. In this respect I am having prepared a multiannual plan covering programmes to assist the long-term unemployed and to form the basis for Community and Exchequer funding. In finalising that plan I will have regard to the Commission's proposals which have, incidentally, not yet been formally communicated to the Council and to the report of the inter-departmental committee.
Can the Minister indicate how long a person has to be on assistance or unemployment benefit before he can be regarded as long term unemployed? If a long term unemployed person takes on a training course or is involved in a social employment scheme and returns to the register after that, can the Minister indicate whether he is regarded as long term unemployed or short term unemployed?
The figure taken over a number of years was one year. I think about 46 per cent of the people on the live register would now be considered to be long term unemployed and the average length of that group would probably be two and a half years. The position is that a person who comes back off a training scheme would still be considered as long term unemployed because he would still be on unemployment assistance.
Are they still classified in the statistics as long term unemployed? To be honest with the Minister, I believe there is a bit of juggling going on with the figures in relation to this alleged 1.8 per cent of a drop.
Deputy Michael Bell is offering.
Can I ask the Minister to have a look at the position of people who are on a mixture of different benefits, for example, somebody who had been on disability benefit and is now on unemployment benefit or vice versa, because effectively these people are losing out in qualifying for benefit? Could he also look at the position of people who, because they go on these special employment schemes, will lose such as Christmas bonuses and other benefits they would normally be entitled to if they had stayed on the live register as UA recipients?
There are some difficulties in relation to this. I think it is known that in the course of last year people on training schemes which were directly linked to social welfare increases got the double week bonus but unfortunately resources were not provided last year for people on employment schemes which were not directly linked to social welfare increases and cannot be provided this year for similar cases. I will raise the issue referred to by Deputy Proinsias De Rossa with the Minister for Social Welfare. I cannot answer exactly how they are categorised but I will raise that matter with the Minister for Social Welfare.
Arising from the Minister's initial reply to Question No. 2, in which he was asked what response is emanating from his Department, do I take it that the absence of any reference by the Minister to the social employment scheme or to the proposed reduction in the allocation for 1989 is something he would not regard as a conscious or positive response by his Department to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of 22 December 1986?
No, that would be incorrect. I think the Deputy knows that I have always——
There is a further question dealing with that matter.
——supported the social employment scheme because of the benefits to be gained from it.
We are anticipating a question on that subject matter.
May I just say that the interdepartmental committee will, of course, be taking the social employment scheme in as one of the initiatives?
