Gay Mitchell
Ceist:98 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will consider the contents of correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4852/02]
Written Answers. - Community Employment Schemes.
In line with a commitment in the PPF, and following consultations with relevant Departments and the social partners, certain essential services currently provided by participants on community employment are being mainstreamed. The mainstreaming of schools services currently under way provides for additional funding of €58,407,951 to transfer to the Department of Education and Science, on a phased basis, by 2003. The availability of this funding has enabled that Department to put in place an equitable system of funding for ancillary services throughout the free education school system.
Participation on CE is usually for a period of one to three years and all school based participants are being facilitated to complete their full engagement in their school project. FÁS employment services are available to assist participants who have completed their term on CE to look for employment in the open labour market, or to advise on other options such as further education or training opportunities, which may be available locally. The provision of additional services in schools following the mainstreaming of CE services in schools is a matter for the Minister for Education and Science.
Jack Wall
Ceist:99 Mr. Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of places available to county groups in County Kildare under the community employment scheme; if her attention has been drawn to the problems in some areas (details supplied) where local groups are having difficulties enlisting applicants and where persons willing to be involved are not permitted to do so; and if there are concessions for persons over 60 seeking positions on such schemes. [4853/02]
The primary purpose of the community employment programme, CE, is to operate as a labour market intervention measure targeted at the long-term unemployed. Participants generally are required to be over 25 years of age, be unemployed for one year or more and be in receipt of an appropriate social welfare payment over that period.
FÁS has provision for 920 CE places in County Kildare for 2002. The allocation of individual places and the renewal of projects is an operational matter for FÁS, and is based on the services being provided, for example, drugs task force projects and personal assistant services for persons with disabilities, and the level of unemployment in the locality.
The dramatic reduction in the levels of long-term unemployment in recent years has resulted in the pool of potential CE workers diminishing, and as a result many CE sponsors now have difficulty in finding eligible unemployed people. Where sponsors are experiencing difficulties in recruiting people, FÁS and the local employment services office will make every effort to fill vacancies with eligible candidates.
Participation on CE is normally for a period of one to a maximum of three years as the primary objective of the programme is to progress participants to jobs in the open labour market. In August, 2001 I announced new flexibility arrangements for the future operation of CE which allows FÁS discretion to extend, on a case by case basis, an individual's term on CE, having regard to that individual's personal development needs and future employment prospects. In the case of people aged over 50 years, the three year cap on participation has been removed in cases where people in this age group, having spent three years on the programme, continue to experience difficulties in getting employment. For such participants FÁS now has discretion to offer a further period on the programme on a case by case basis.