Vol. 400 No. 6
23 Mrs. Barnes asked the Minister for Labour the policies which are being implemented, or will be introduced, to enable women to re-enter the workforce after some years of working in the home; and the resources which will be directed towards their reintegration into employment outside the home.
Training and help in relation to combining training, work and family responsibilities are the two arms of my policy to enable women to re-enter the workforce after some years of working in the home. One of the important features of the recent FÁS positive action programme was an increase of almost 50 per cent in return to work courses this year compared to last year; the courses themselves are also to be improved. Moreover FÁS is improving access to training for women by making entry requirements more flexible, by providing pre-entry training, and by examining the barriers which prevent women with family ties from participating in training courses. I have asked FÁS to provide to the Deputy an indication of the level of resources involved.
Apart from the measures which were agreed in the context of the CRC review of the Programme for National Recovery I have asked a small group to advise me on the potential for early practical action as regards child care services and, indeed, the other measures which employers could adopt to help workers continue family responsibilities and career.
