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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Dec 1998

Vol. 497 No. 7

Written Answers - Working Group on the Social Economy.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

37 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to give effect to the recommendation of the Partnership 2000 working group on the social economy that the new national development plan contain a measure dedicated to supporting the social economy. [23548/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

67 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to give effect to the recommendation of the Partnership 2000 working group on the social economy that the social economy remain an element of local social and economic regeneration rather than becoming a tool for labour market integration. [23546/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

68 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to give effect to the recommendation of the Partnership 2000 working group on the social economy that control of the social economy rest at local level and within an equal partnership of the State and relevant interests in civil society. [23545/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

69 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to give effect to the recommendation of the Partnership 2000 working group on the social economy that some of the additional 8,000 community employment places promised in Partnership 2000 will be allocated to the social economy. [23544/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

70 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the plans, if any, she has to give effect to the recommendation of the Partnership 2000 working group on the social economy that the flexibility required by social economic enterprises be retained within the more institutionalised settings and local economic developments which are now emerging. [23547/98]

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

73 Mr. Sargent asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her attention has been drawn to the report of the Partnership 2000 working group on the social economy; and if she will give her commitment to the implementation of the recommendations made in that report. [23549/98]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 67, 68, 69, 70 and 73 together.

The social economy working group was set up on foot of the commitment in Partnership 2000 to undertake a detailed examination of the potential of the social economy, in the context that appropriate support mechanisms to facilitate the achievement of the full potential of the social economy will be established, in the light of recommendations of the working group. The four social partner pillars, relevant Government Departments, FÁS and Area Development Management Limited were represented on this working group, which met from October 1997 to July 1998.
In its report the working group decided to focus on an element of the social economy between the private and public sector which engages in economic activity in order to meet social objectives. This part of the social economy has two main objectives; to provide services to disadvantaged communities and to generate employment opportunities and experience for long-term unemployed people.
I have fully accepted and have started to implement the recommendations contained in the final report of this working group. There is provision in my Departments 1999 Estimate for additional Exchequer resources of £1 million to assist social economy enterprises and I will shortly be inviting the four pillars of the social partnership to nominate representatives to the national monitoring committee, which will oversee the introduction of the new social economy programme, as recommended in the working group report.
The working group was concerned to ensure that to the optimal extent existing resources, both financial and institutional, would be used to support the social economy programme. As a consequence the group recommended that funding for the programme be sourced primarily through a reallocation of a proportion of funding currently committed to community employment and that the dedicated social economy programme should be managed at national and local level by FÁS, in partnership with relevant interest groups. The involvement of the social partners, partnerships and the community/voluntary sector more generally, at national and local level, is an integral element of the approach adopted by the working group. This is to ensure that ideas and activities in relation to the social economy, emerging in the context of local development initiatives, are provided with both technical and financial support to allow social economy enterprises fulfill their potential to deliver services and provide employment for disadvantaged people. The programme will have a strong development focus. The intention is that it will support imaginative, locally based initiatives. It is not about institutionalising existing activities loosely defined as in the social economy.
Refocusing an element of existing community employment funding to a social economy programme, as agreed by all the social partners, represents a strategic decision to shift the focus from an employment scheme to a community reintegration programme focusing on the development of social economy enterprises as a tool for social and economic regeneration. The dedicated social economy programme will operate alongside the range of active labour market programmes including community employment.
It is envisaged that the National Development Plan for the period 2000 to 2006 will maintain the existing focus of structural fund assistance on promoting growth and tackling social exclusion. Developing the social economy can contribute to these objectives. The EU Commission has also indicated that they would like the priorities in the 1999 employment guidelines, which include a guideline to promote employment in the social economy, to be considered when drawing up plans for structural fund assistance post-2000. Due attention will be paid to the importance the Commission attaches to this matter at that stage.
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