Vol. 513 No. 1
154 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the FÁS target of bringing the proportion of its trainee intake from long-term unemployed from 11% to 21% in 1999 was achieved; and, if not, the reason in this regard. [1373/00]
FÁS's action plan for the long-term unemployed, published at the end of 1998, set out a range of supports which FÁS is providing to support the reintegration of long-term unemployed people into the workforce. One of the targets set out in the action plan was that a minimum of 20% of people starting FÁS's mainline training programmes for the unemployed would be long-term unemployed.
The most recent figures available on FÁS programme participation for 1999 relate to the year up to the end of November 1999. A total of 13,360 people started FÁS mainline training programmes for the unemployed during the first eleven months of 1999. Of these, 2,975 were long-term unemployed. The long-term unemployed therefore represented over 22% of all new starters on these programmes up to the end of November 1999. This exceeds the national minimum participation target which FÁS set in its action plan for the long-term unemployed.
