Batt O'Keeffe
Ceist:17 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if he will make a provision for married persons working in the home to avail of places on community employment schemes. [17716/96]
Other Questions. - Community Employment Schemes.
Community employment is designed primarily to prevent marginalisation among long-term unemployed people whose principal or only source of income is a social welfare payment. Its objective is to provide temporary work experience opportunities together with some training that would enhance the employment prospects of those at whom the programme is targeted.
The present eligibility criteria for CE only came into effect earlier this year following a detailed review of CE and in response to the recommendations of the task force on long-term unemployment. These criteria were designed to target the programme at priority groups and include provision for married unemployed persons to swop their social welfare entitlement to qualify for participation on the programme. As limited resources do not make it possible to provide CE for all long-term unemployed people it is necessary to target the programme at those most in need, such as persons in receipt of an unemployment compensation payment or persons in receipt of certain means tested social welfare payments. In line with this, both men and women, single or married, who fulfil the eligibility criteria can participate on CE.
CE is operating at or close to capacity, relative to available resources and to extend eligibility would be at the expense of the priority groups for whom the programme is designed.
The Minister must be aware that married women working in the home are concerned about their exclusion from the community employment schemes. The Minister says he is concerned about the long-term unemployed but many of these women gave up paid employment to work in the home and rear their children. Now they find themselves debarred from community employment programmes to which they could make a significant contribution.
Many married women are also discriminated against in terms of social welfare payments being paid from 1 January to lone parents and not to mothers in the home. There is great concern that this Government is not interested in the role married people can play by returning to the workforce. Recently the House passed Second Stage of the Employment Equality Bill, 1996. Does the Minister agree this scheme is discriminatory and, from the point of view of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, should be outlawed? Can he assure the House he will make provision for women working in the home to play a meaningful role in community employment programmes in the future?
The Government recognises the role of women in the home who are anxious to return to work. Substantial programmes provided by FÁS are targeted at their needs. These courses are taken up by large numbers of women and are successful. The issue of community employment is specific——
There is a difference between a course and an employment scheme.
The community employment programme is targeted at two priority groups — the long-term unemployed and lone parents who have been long-term unemployed. Employment equality legislation permits targeting schemes at priority groups. The Deputy's colleague recognises that the long-term unemployed is a priority group and that we must concentrate resources there. There is a clear need in a programme such as community employment to target certain groups and that has been an element in the programme since it was established.
There is a consistent policy to identify people who are in greatest need of support of this nature, such as the long-term unemployed and lone parents, in order to get them back into the labour force. That is a reasonable approach in addressing priority needs in the labour force.
The Minister is aware a person must be three years unemployed and in receipt of a social welfare payment to qualify for participation in community employment schemes. It is not possible for a person who works in the home and rears children to return to the workforce. Many women working in the home have no opportunity to participate in these schemes as a result of the prohibitions imposed by the Minister. The Minister should review the scheme in the forthcoming budget. There are training courses available for married people working in the home but the Minister is aware that job expectation following those courses is about 16 per cent.
The question is over long.
However, job expectation following participation in community employment programmes can be as high as 36 per cent, so participants in training courses are at a distinct disadvantage. The Minister should level the playing field in this regard.
This is a measure targeted at people who are dependent on social welfare, particularly the long-term unemployed and lone parents. They are the priority categories.
These people are long-term unemployed as well.
The Deputy suggests we should broaden the programme and not target it to such an extent. That poses a difficulty. The priority issue is long-term unemployment and the Deputy cannot have it both ways. We are providing courses and support for people who wish to return to the workforce. It is encouraging to note from the labour force survey that we had tremendous success last year in bringing an additional 30,000 women back into the labour force. As this was not achieved before in the history of the State it clearly shows significant progress has been made in this field by the creation of a vibrant jobs market. We are assisting those who require support, through specific reintegration programmes, but the community employment programme affords priority to the long-term unemployed.
This means they will have no hope in the short term.