Vol. 446 No. 4
22 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment whether he has satisfied himself with the progress in reducing the number of persons who are long term unemployed as promised in the Programme for a Partnership Government, 1993 to 1997. [1880/94]
The Programme for a Partnership Government indicated that a new programme would be introduced to provide opportunities for about 30,000 long term unemployed people. I am delighted to say that the Community Employment Programme, which was introduced in April of this year, has a target participation level by year end of 40,000. There were 32,865 on the programme at the end of September and I am optimistic that the target of 40,000 will be reached.
In addition the Government has set up a task force to develop specific proposals arising out of the recent report of the National Economic and Social Forum on the long term unemployed. This task force is to report by 30 November and I have no doubt that the Government will move expeditiously to take decisions on foot of the task force's eventual recommendations.
Nonetheless we cannot be complacent. The level of unemployment generally and particularly the level of long term unemployment remains at an unacceptable level. The efforts of the Government will be directed at creating the conditions which will allow the continuation of the uptake in the economy which has been evident over the past number of months.
Does the Minister accept that the single quantifiable target set in the Programme for Government was the proposal to reduce the number of long term unemployed people? Is he aware that since his appointment the number of long term unemployed people has increased by 14,000, that we have the highest proportion of long term unemployed people in the OECD and that the figure is many times higher than the figure in other countries?
I am aware that for the past nine months the unemployment rate has been decreasing in a satisfactory manner way in advance of what anybody would have anticipated 20 months ago. Like all other members of the Government, I am still concerned at the persistent high level of structural long term unemployment to which the Deputy has referred. For this reason the task force has been established to respond to the report of the National Economic and Social Forum.
Has the Minister recently read the Programme for Government? Is he aware that eight of the nine specific proposals set out in the programme to assist long term unemployed people have not been implemented? These include the establishment of a jobs fund, targeted wage subsidies, a national pre-return to work counselling service, a national training scheme, an education and training certification board and a national voluntary scheme of work sharing. Is he aware that the Government has failed to implement all but one of the proposals in the programme? While we may be pleased with the CEP is he aware that he made specific commitments but nothing has been done about them and it is not surprising against this background that long term unemployment continues to increase?
The Department and the Government are working vigorously to implement the full Programme for Government. Progress is being made on all fronts as the Deputy can readily see, specifically on the matters to which he has referred.
Deputy R. Bruton rose.
A final brief question, Deputy; I have other priority questions to deal with in a short time.
Have these proposals joined the queue of those which have been put on the long finger, including the draining of the Shannon?
On the contrary, the Department is working to implement the Programme for Government which was designed to be implemented over a period of five years. We have every intention of doing so and implementing it in full.
The long term unemployed must wait.
No.
