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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Nov 1999

Vol. 511 No. 6

Written Answers. - Community Employment Schemes.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

93 Mr. Penrose asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if lone parents under the age of 25 qualify for participation on community employment schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25042/99]

Lone parents, as a group, are not being excluded from the community employment programme. Following the recent restructuring of CE, the age limit for general eligibility was increased from 21 to 25. This change was necessary to better target available places at the most disadvantaged of the long-term unemployed. Lone parents under the age of 25 can still qualify for participation in CE if they are members of any of the following groups which are exempt from the recent changes to the programme travellers, ex-offenders, refugees, people with disabilities, people referred under the drugs task force, offshore island inhabitants and 18-24 year olds, referred through EAP, who are 18 months or more unemployed.

The Deloitte & Touche review of the CE pro gramme, undertaken in 1998, argued strongly that due to the part-time nature of the community employment programme it is not the most appropriate introduction to the workforce for young people. It also indicated clearly that training schemes have higher employment rates and are a better option for young people who have not been unemployed for very long. In recognition of this situation and in order to facilitate the extra demand for training places among younger unemployed people, the Government allocated up to £23 million for new training initiatives targeted at younger unemployed people in 1999, £2 million of which was specifically targeted at the needs of lone parents.
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