Vol. 526 No. 4
184 Mr. D. Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has received representations from rural community groups who want the terms of employment for community employment schemes altered in order that the compulsory 12 month break of service be reduced to a minimum of one month. [26984/00]
The primary purpose of the community employment, CE, is to reintegrate long-term unemployed persons into jobs in the open labour market. The review of CE by Deloitte & Touche, consultants, undertaken in 1998, set a framework for a reform of the programme for the years ahead. It recommended that there should be a reduction in participation on the programme over time, as well as a range of other reforms, including an increase in the duration of participant breaks between schemes from six to 12 months, aimed at securing better targeting and outcomes from the programme.
This change together with the three year cap on participation in CE were introduced to discourage repeated participation on the programme and to give individuals the opportunity to undertake training programmes where possible, or to utilise the service of FÁS placement officers and-or the local employment service.
I am particularly sensitive to the needs of older workers in rural areas and their situation is at present being reviewed pending the introduction of suitable projects under the social economy programme. I have received many representations on the restructuring of CE asking for the changes to the eligibility criteria to be reversed, and for participants to be allowed to remain on the programme. Overall, I consider the reduction in absolute numbers participating, together with the changed eligibility criteria, to be appropriate given the present economic climate and buoyancy in employment projections.
CE is intended to be a progression programme and it would be inappropriate to allow almost permanent presence on such a programme while employees are being recruited from the EU and outside the EU to fill vacancies in both rural and urban areas, in low skilled categories of employment. It is essential, in the interests of the persons concerned, that we should make the most of the present opportunities to reintegrate and offer employment opportunities to the maximum number of those still unemployed.
