Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Feb 1999

Vol. 500 No. 1

Written Answers - Job Initiatives.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

93 Mr. Allen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if participants in the job initiative scheme operated by FÁS are entitled to an extension of their contract after three years of participation; if they will be entitled to re-employment under the same scheme; and wheher FÁS or the individual or individual groups participating in the scheme make the decision. [3271/99]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

Job initiative is a work reintegration programme targeted at the long-term unemployed, persons on the live register for five years or more and aged 35 or over. Job initiative participants have access to three years temporary employment. The 1999 budget added an additional 875 places to job initiative, bringing the total number of places available to 2,875.

The first 1,000 job initiative participants are in the third and final year of their programme. As a general principle, participants will not be entitled to extend participation beyond three years and will not be re-engaged under the programme. It would be contrary to the labour market reintegration focus of the programme and unfair to other potential participants in the programme to do otherwise. FÁS will apply this guideline nationally.

I understand a number of participants have left the programme prior to completing three years to take up jobs in the open labour market which is an encouraging sign of the programme's efficacy and the motivation of participants. On the basis of experience gained a significant number of participants should be able to get jobs in the open labour market on completion of the programme and FÁS will provide progression advice and support to all participants in the leadup to completion.