Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 12 May 1999

Vol. 504 No. 5

Written Answers. - Community Employment Schemes.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

146 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the progress over the past 18 months regarding abolishing discrimination against married women in relation to not being eligible for community employment schemes and back to work allowances; his views on the need and action necessary to remove this discrimination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12461/99]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

Access to many labour market programmes, such as community employment and the back to work allowance, is confined to those who are signing on the live register for a specified period of time.

The live register includes both men and women who are in receipt of an unemployment payment, unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance, or who are signing on for credited contributions. There are also a number of labour market programmes available to men and women alike for which there is no live register condition and female participation rates in those courses has increased significantly in recent years. In accordance with a commitment given in Partnership 2000, a working group has been established to review the question of access by women to labour market opportunities with a view to increasing gender equity and improving job opportunities. This group is chaired by my Department and includes representatives from the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the Irish Farmer's Association, the Congress Centres for the Unemployed, FÁS, the Employment Equality Agency, Aontas and relevant Government Departments. It is expected that the report of the group will be completed by the middle of this year and the Government will then consider what action needs to be taken on foot of the recommendations in this report.