I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 256 together.
Community employment helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. Some 1,100 organisations in the community, voluntary and not-for-profit sectors provide work and training placements for participants nationwide. The number of placements available during 2011, including supervisor positions, was of the order of 23,300. The number of persons engaged at the 5th December 2011, including supervisors, was 23,846. The distribution of the placements is set out in the table below. Places are allocated regionally to reflect the underlying level of unemployment. I hope to be able to maintain the same level of placements in 2012. In delivering these placements, the Department of Social Protection/FÁS will continue to operate with sponsor organisations in a flexible manner in order to maximise progression to the labour market and ensure placements are fully utilised, while at the same time facilitating support for the delivery of community services.
Table — Distribution of Community Employment Placements
Area
|
Persons engaged (including supervisors)
|
Dublin postal districts
|
|
Dublin 1
|
493
|
Dublin 2
|
413
|
Dublin 3
|
198
|
Dublin 4
|
110
|
Dublin 5
|
263
|
Dublin 6
|
54
|
Dublin 7
|
186
|
Dublin 8
|
778
|
Dublin 9
|
134
|
Dublin 10
|
246
|
Dublin 11
|
554
|
Dublin 12
|
364
|
Dublin 13
|
108
|
Dublin 14
|
31
|
Dublin 15
|
359
|
Dublin 16
|
59
|
Dublin 17
|
483
|
Dublin 18
|
181
|
Dublin 20
|
69
|
Dublin 22
|
316
|
Dublin 24
|
500
|
Dublin West
|
19
|
|
|
Other Counties
|
|
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown
|
165
|
Dublin North County/Fingal
|
287
|
Carlow
|
330
|
Cavan
|
223
|
Clare
|
591
|
Cork City
|
1,223
|
Cork County
|
936
|
Donegal
|
1,145
|
Galway City
|
352
|
Galway County
|
1,147
|
Kerry
|
971
|
Kildare
|
656
|
Kilkenny
|
438
|
Laois
|
307
|
Leitrim
|
170
|
Limerick City
|
727
|
Limerick County
|
560
|
Longford
|
300
|
Louth
|
820
|
Mayo
|
776
|
Meath
|
473
|
Monaghan
|
349
|
Offaly
|
370
|
Roscommon
|
343
|
Sligo
|
432
|
Tipperary (North Riding)
|
417
|
Tipperary (South Riding)
|
601
|
Waterford City
|
442
|
Waterford County
|
266
|
Westmeath
|
547
|
Wexford
|
846
|
Wicklow
|
718
|
Total
|
23,846
|