The community employment scheme, operated by FÁS on behalf of the Department of Enterprise and Employment, was established in March 1994 and provides part-time employment opportunities for unemployed people with a view of their re-integration into the labour market and also provides a resource for local development and for voluntary and community sectors.
The criteria for participation in community employment (CE) is a matter for the Department of Enterprise and Employment. As the Deputy will be aware, the criteria established by that Department involves a requirement to be on the live register or on lone parents allowance.
Recipients of deserted wife's benefit (DWB), are facilitated in switching to LPA if they wished to participate in community employment.
Since the abolition of deserted wife's benefit and with it the requirement on women to prove desertion, the option to switch back to deserted wife's benefit no longer exists except for those who switched before the commencement of the one parent family payment.
Accordingly, DWB recipients wishing to participate on a CE scheme after 2 January 1997, are being advised by my Department that they can apply for the new one-parent family payment in order to meet the CE qualifying requirements, but that they will not be able to transfer back to DWB at the end of the CE.
