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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Dec 1998

Vol. 497 No. 7

Written Answers - European Social Fund.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

24 Mr. Penrose asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will respond to the ESF evaluation report on the long-term unemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26108/98]

I am interested in the findings of the evaluation and have referred it to the officials in my Department for consideration. It is worth making the point that the programmes examined by the ESF evaluation unit were designed at a time of higher unemployment and poor prospects for long-term unemployed persons. That being said I note with interest that the evaluation comes to the same conclusion as the Deloitte & Touche review of community employment — that spending on active labour market programmes, while very substantial, 4.1 per cent of GDP in 1996, for example, has not been strategically focused. Community employment has been by far the biggest ALMP, with end 1998 participation of 40,000 places, yet among such programmes it has a lower outcome in terms of progression.

I very much agree with the finding in the evaluation that "there is a need to adopt an approach with two strategies: to bring more long-term unemployed people with low skills level into quality training and education programmes and also to increase the amount and improve the quality of training on those programmes which long-term unemployed may choose for a variety of reasons".

This approach very much reflects the strategic thrust of the measures set in place both in the 1999 Estimates and the budget, where the emphasis has been on developing targeted programmes with good labour market linkages, likely to result in good progression rates into jobs.

I reiterate the Government's commitment to reintegrating into employment persons who are currently long-term unemployed while ensuring, through the employment action plan, that other persons do not drift into long-term unemployment. The Government has provided a very substantial social inclusion package in the 1998 budget in order to achieve this. In my Department alone there is provision for an additional 10,000 places on targeted active labour market programmes during the coming year.
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