Vol. 474 No. 8
104 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if a review or study is being carried out on the operation of the local employment services; when he expects this review to be completed; the person who is carrying out this review; the terms of reference for this review; the cost of this review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4112/97]
In accordance with the Government decision of 1 August 1996, an initial evaluation of the local employment service in the original 14 areas was undertaken late last year. Forfás undertook this evaluation which is just completed. The terms of reference for Forfás in undertaking the evaluation were to address the following questions: (i) based on the experience of the LES to date, can any conclusion be drawn as to whether it is likely, over time, to achieve the goals and objectives set for it; (ii) to what extent is the objective of greater co-operation and co-ordination among State sector providers being met, with particular reference to the SMI objective in this regard; (iii) are there lessons to be learnt from the LES experience to date for the future expansion of the service nationwide.
There was no additional cost involved for the State in this evaluation as Forfás undertook the exercise from within its existing resources.
