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Community Employment Schemes.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2004

Thursday, 7 October 2004

Ceisteanna (30, 31, 32, 33)

Paul Nicholas Gogarty

Ceist:

26 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress made in providing places on community employment schemes for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23598/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Brian O'Shea

Ceist:

28 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of persons on community employment places at 1 January 2003 and 1 January 2004; the anticipated numbers at 1 January 2005; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties faced by many community and voluntary groups due to the shortage of community employment places; if changes are planned with regard to eligibility to participate in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23667/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Dan Boyle

Ceist:

41 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of places he expects to be available on each of the community employment, job initiative and social economy programme schemes in 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23594/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Brian O'Shea

Ceist:

68 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the latest position with regard to the various reviews or studies of community employment commissioned or undertaken by his Department; the main findings of each; if he intends to publish the reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23666/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 28, 41 and 68 together.

Community employment, CE, provides work experience and training opportunities for the long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups with the aim of progressing to a job in the open labour market. Persons with disabilities who satisfy the eligibility criteria may be considered for participation in the scheme. The current participation rate for this group of participants is 19.8%.

The total funding allocation for employment schemes in 2004 has been fixed at €351 million, which is similar to the level of funding provided in 2003. This allocation is supporting up to 25,000 places across the three FÁS employment schemes, community employment, social economy and job initiative. The number of places being funded is similar to the number of participants at year-end 2003 and no reductions have taken place on the overall participation levels on these schemes in 2004.

In January 2003 there were 24,991 CE participants, 19,848 in January 2004 and it is estimated that there will be 21,300 participants on CE at the start of 2005. While there have been reductions since 2003 in the level of places provided the critical service delivery areas of health and child care, and drugs task force services have been ring-fenced and maintained at the 2002 levels, at approximately 6,000 places. FÁS has endeavoured to support local communities in the services they wish to deliver while keeping the focus of the scheme on securing jobs for participants in the open labour market.

Target participation rates for 2005 will be considered in the context of the ongoing review of active labour market programmes and the budget allocation for FÁS programmes in 2005. There has been extensive consultation with the social partners and key stakeholders over the past year on the future direction of CE and other FÁS labour market programmes and I would hope to conclude this process shortly.

With regard to the other reviews of CE that have been undertaken the position is as follows: the Indecon International Economic Consultants report on active labour market programmes was finalised in November 2002 and is published on my Departments website; the Standing Committee on the Labour Market review of active labour market programmes, mandated by the PPF, concluded without reacting a group consensus on the various elements of the review and will not be published; and a review of community employment conducted by FÁS has been submitted to my Department and will be published in due course.

Question No. 27 answered with QuestionNo. 9.
Question No. 28 answered with QuestionNo. 26.
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