Written Answers. - Community Employment Schemes.
Mary O'Rourke
Ceist:
195
Mrs. O'Rourke
asked the
Minister for Enterprise and Employment
whether he has received a letter representing the view of over 50 post-primary schools in Cork city and county, who are concerned at recent changes in community employment; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the new regulations governing community employment will be harmful to these schools; if he will give consideration to the views expressed to him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14675/96]
I confirm that I have received the letter referred to by the Deputy and the following are my views/observations in regard to same: Community employment is designed primarily to provide temporary work experience, normally of one year's duration together with some training that would enhance the prospects of long-term unemployed people in obtaining a mainstream job.
The programme consists of the following distinct options:
Part-Time Integration Option: which is aimed at long-term unemployed people with reasonable prospects of employment and whose prospects of obtaining mainstream employment would be enhanced by participation on the programme. Not more than 10 per cent of participants can be retained for further periods beyond the initial year by sponsors under this option.
Part-Time Job Option: which is aimed at long-term unemployed people with poor employment prospects. Participants on the part-time job option have an annual contract of engagement for twelve months and, subject to availability of places, can have their contract renewed for up to three years.
Under the CE programme, public sector and voluantary organisations are grantaided by FÁS in respect of sponsoring a CE project and they in turn benefit in a secondary way by being able to carry out worthwhile work which they could not otherwise undertake. Suitable projects would be those that can be shown to respond to a clearly identified community need and which also develop the work skills of participants, thereby enhancing their prospect of mainstream employment.
As CE has become very popular with both sponsors and unemployed persons and is presently operating at capacity level relative to available resources, it is not possible for FÁS, all of the time, to accommodate all sponsors seeking project approval, or all persons seeking a place on the programme, or to meet the needs of some sponsors in full. Nonetheless the provision of opportunities for an average 40,000 participants throughout 1996 is very significant and will be of considerable benefit to unemployed persons and local communities.
Recent changes to the programme were introduced in order to better target CE at the long-term unemployed.
While I appreciate very much the opportunities provided for long-term unemployed people by schools, I regret it is not possible to grant schools, or indeed other sponsors of CE, a derogation from the criteria governing the programme as to do so would alter the objective of CE, which is to provide temporary opportunities of long-term unemployed people.
As CE supervisors are engaged by way of mainstream employment, their terms and conditions of employment are matters for negotiation between each individual sponsor, the supervisor concerned and his or her union.
