Written Answers. - Jobs Schemes.
Gerry O'Sullivan
Ceist:
89
Mr. G. O'Sullivan
asked the
Minister for Labour
if he will outline all the discussions which have taken place with the European Commission in relation to the new jobs schemes announced recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The proposal that the Structural Funds should assist the two new initiatives viz the employment subsidy scheme and the job training scheme was first broached by the former Taoiseach with the President of the EC Commission, in November 1991, in the context of discussion on the forthcoming European Council at Maastricht. The initial response of the President of the Commission was positive and it was decided to have the proposal followed up at official level to examine, (a) how the schemes should be implemented to secure optimum results and (b) how they should be funded.
The EC team for the discussions were drawn from five separate Commission Directorates and the Irish officials were from the Departments of the Taoiseach, Labour and Finance. Meetings were held on 13, 16, 21 January and 24 February 1992. The social partners, FÁS and CERT were involved in some of the meetings and a continuing liaison was maintained between these bodies and my Department. From the outset the Commission officials were insistent that, if the schemes were to attract ESF assistance on the scale requested, they should be genuine initiatives designed to tackle our unemployment problem, that they be well implemented and monitored and that they should satisfy the legal and financial regulations governing the EC Structural Funds.
As regards the employment subsidy scheme, the Commission accepted that the scheme was a worthwhile initiative designed to meet the particularly acute unemployment situation in Ireland at the present time. They considered that the target figure of 15,000 was an ambitious one, but after discussion agreed to provide assistance at 75 per cent towards the weekly subsidy of £54 per week per worker, for a period of 52 weeks. The general conditions for participation in the scheme, which I have already announced, were discussed and agreed with the Commission.
As regards the job training scheme, the Commission considered that this was a very important development in training in Ireland, where traditionally the amount of in-firm training carried out on employers' premises, has been low. For this reason the Commission was anxious to ensure that the scheme proposed was a genuine training scheme which would provide the trainees with real qualifications and was not a "cheap labour" scheme. In order to satisfy the Commission that this indeed was our proposal, detailed discussions were held to establish the procedures to establish training standards, including the training of trainers, for the content of curricula and for certification of qualifications acquired. The procedures for monitoring of the training had to be agreed as well as follow up procedures for the ultimate placement of the trainees.
Eventually, an agreement was reached with the Commission officials on the implementation and monitoring arrangements which satisfied them that the scheme would operate as a genuine training scheme.
I personally finalised and agreed the arrangements in a meeting with Ms. Papandreou the EC Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs in Brussels on 24 February 1992. The scheme will have three major characteristics — agreement of a training plan between FÁS and the enterprise, structured training and supervision. The Commission will reimburse 75 per cent of the training allowances paid to the trainees, with the employers contributing the remaining 25 per cent.
While the discussions with the Commission on the job training scheme were at times difficult, I am satisfied that in the end they resulted in a very good scheme which will provide, genuine high quality training and which I hope will become an important part of our vocational training system.
