Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:308 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his response to the Donegal Task Force report which was presented in June 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18919/99]
Written Answers - Donegal Task Force Report.
The Donegal Task Force was set up in September 1998 by the Tánaiste, following the announcement of over 700 redundancies in Fruit of the Loom. The task force's report was furnished to Government in July 1999.
The task force made a number of recommendations in the economic area – infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, telecommunications etc. It also made a number of recommendations relating to human resource development, including the following priorities: reducing the rate of early school leaving, developing programmes to help workers to adapt/re-train for industrial change, continued training for the unemployed, and measures to retain graduates in the county.
One of the report's medium-term recommendations was of relevance to my Department viz that the regulations regarding entitlement to benefits for people who are made redundant and wish to enter immediately onto re-skilling courses or second chance education should be re-examined.
A minimum period on the live register has been a condition for access to my Department's second chance education opportunities since the schemes were first introduced in the mid 1980s. The minimum period has over the years been reduced from 15 months down to the current requirement of six months. The date by which the six months counts is the date the course starts, which can provide some flexibility in individual cases.
By comparison with other schemes (e.g. the back-to-work allowance) the six-month period is relatively short. I am sure that Deputy will appreciate that, in equity, any reduction of this would need to apply generally, and not be confined to a particular area. Given the greater needs of those who are on the live register for longer, I do not favour reducing the qualifying period any further.