Vol. 517 No. 6
52 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the numbers availing of the student summer jobs scheme in each of the past three years; the way in which these figures compare with the number of positions available on those schemes, having regard to the shortfall of students who qualify for those jobs; and if he will extend the criteria to include students who have just completed the leaving certificate. [10571/00]
The primary purpose of the students summer jobs scheme since its inception in 1993 has been to provide financial help to less well-off third level students who do not have access to unemployment payments during the summer. The scheme allows students to take up part-time work useful to their community and to receive payment for this work. Local groups with projects in their communities can register with the Department as sponsors. The main focus of the scheme is on providing the students concerned with an income and not necessarily to fill all the jobs offered by sponsors.
A total of 15,600 students availed of the scheme in 1997, 13,600 in 1998 and 9,299 in 1999. The number of projects made available by sponsors for each of those three years was 30,189, 31,552 and 23,473, respectively.
While the level of projects offered has remained high over recent years, there has been a significant decline in the number of students taking part. This is due to the wider availability of summer jobs, which is a very welcome development and has diminished the necessity for the scheme as a means of financial support to needy students.
The target group for the scheme is third level students. I do not intend to extend this to students at second level. There would be significant cost implications in such a move and these could only be considered in a budgetary context. Furthermore, bearing in mind the purpose of the scheme, there is no justification for extending it in a situation where the number of job opportunities is increasing and employers are finding it difficult to fill them.
The Minister said that only 9,000 of the 23,000 positions available last year were filled, which means that only 40% of the jobs were taken up. Does he agree that many students would be delighted to take those jobs but do not qualify because of the means test? Many others who have just completed their leaving certificate are waiting for their results and are not sure what they will do, but most of those who go to third level colleges could provide worthwhile help to their communities by taking those jobs. Does the Minister agree it would be worthwhile to extend the scheme to those students? That would have a twofold effect. It would provide job opportunities for those leaving certificate students and would mean, as the Minister said, that very valuable work would be done in the community.
The scheme, which has not been changed since its inception by whatever party was in Government—
The dirty dozen.
—was never envisaged as applying to leaving certificate students. There was always a 40% take up of the jobs available under the scheme, generally speaking.
That is not true.
It is interesting that a 1998 ESRI report shows that 47% of those who left the second level system in the 1996-97 academic year were in employment 12 months after leaving school. There has been a continued fall over recent years in the percentage of school leavers who are unemployed. The reality is that young people are getting jobs.
The scheme provides summer jobs for students. According to the labour force survey, in 1997, when this Government took office, 22% of people aged between 15 and 19 years were unemployed. That figure is now 9%. In 1997, 14% of people aged between 20 and 24 years were unemployed. That figure is now 7%. The reality is that, whether we or people outside the House like it, students are voting with their feet. There are much more lucrative jobs available in the economy, where employers are begging people to take jobs, particularly in the tourism industry during the summer. The student summer jobs scheme was designed at a time of high unemployment, when students could not get summer jobs. The situation has now completely changed. The decrease in the number of students availing of this scheme is due mainly to the buoyant economy.
The Minister lost the focus of my question. He said that 46% of students were working 12 months after the leaving certificate. We are talking here about a summer jobs scheme for students in the time between the end of their exams and their starting college. Does the Minister agree that very valuable work could be done by those students? It would be good if they could get work in their own locality rather than having to go elsewhere.
The Minister is always very good at telling us at Question Time about the history of Fianna Fáil and what it did and did not do. He did not include in his reply to this question—
It is a good story to tell.
The Minister had better go to the tribunal if he has a big story to tell.
I will keep repeating it because it is not sinking in.
The Minister must allow the Deputy continue his question.
—that this student summer jobs scheme was introduced by his colleague as a result of the dirty dozen, when he deprived many students of the ability to sign on for the dole and replaced it with this scheme. At that time, the scheme excluded leaving certificate students waiting to go to college. Does the Minister think it is a shame to exclude them?
It is very strange that the Deputy finds fault with this scheme because his party did nothing about it when it was in office from 1994, which was the next year, to 1997. The Deputy knows that one of the difficulties in relation to students was that they were signing on the dole at the start of the summer and not coming off it when they went back to their studies in September. My predecessor will be able to confirm that for the Deputy.
