Vol. 573 No. 4
181 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she has carried out a recent cost benefit analysis of the costs and benefits of the community employment scheme; and the ratio of benefit to the gross cost of the scheme revealed by those studies. [25721/03]
183 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her estimate of the likelihood of a person who has been unemployed for over one year of taking up employment within the following 12 months; and the way in which this compares with the likelihood of a person who had completed a community employment programme of picking up employment within the following 12 months. [25724/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 183 together.
I assume the Deputy's questions relate to studies carried out on the effectiveness of the community employment, CE, programme as an active labour market intervention. In this regard a review of the programme was carried out in 1998 by Deloitte & Touche. The Deloitte & Touche report indicated that the scheme had a positive impact on the subsequent employment rates of participants vis-à-vis unemployed persons in general. However, the consultants recommended a reduction in the size of the programme from the existing level at that time of 40,000 down to a level in the region of 28,000.
The ESRI report, Investing in People, published in November 2000, concluded that while CE was of some benefit to women there were no positive employment effects shown for male participants. This report recommended a reduction in the level of CE and expansion in the provision of effective training programmes.
The more recent report by Indecon Economic Development Consultants commissioned by my Department on behalf of the Standing Committee on the Labour Market, supports the recent reductions in the level of CE places and indicates that based on the evidence available, which includes international research on direct employment schemes, CE and similar programmes are not as effective as other measures in enhancing employability.
