Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 May 2021
91. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the availability of community employment places for persons on the pandemic unemployment payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26261/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommunity Employment (CE) is a labour market activation programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people with an opportunity to engage in work experience and training opportunities within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. It provides valuable services to local communities while supporting long term unemployed in acquiring new skills and work experience.The focus of CE is on long-term unemployed people, that is people who have been unemployed for more than twelve months.A key qualifying condition for the majority of CE candidates is that a person must first be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a minimum of 12 months. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is an income support introduced as a temporary measure to address the emergency needs of people who lost employment as a direct consequence of Covid-19. It is not a qualifying payment for CE. However, time spent in receipt of PUP counts towards the duration of unemployment required to be eligible for CE. In other words, a person in receipt of PUP will need to first qualify for a qualifying payment – e.g. Jobseeker’s Allowance – before they can be considered eligible for CE. At that point, any days spent in receipt of PUP will be treated as days of unemployment for the purposes of determining eligibility for CE.Many persons currently in receipt of PUP will return to their previous employment as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Unfortunately, however, others will not. I am aware of the significant number of persons who have been on PUP since March and April 2020, who could benefit by the opportunities provided by CE placements if their previous jobs do not return over the next few months. Government are very conscious of the need to provide additional activation and other employment supports to assist this category of persons back to work. Under the July Jobs Stimulus, funding is provided for an additional 3,000 places for state employment programmes including CE and Tús. These additional places will provide additional supports for those who have been unemployed for over a year, including time spent on PUP. Once their eligibility for CE is confirmed, unemployed persons can apply for the range of existing CE vacancies accessible within their community which will give them an opportunity to avail of the valuable training and work experience available on these CE placements. I will continue to support and improve the CE programme for the benefit of long-term unemployed participants, including those whose employment have been adversely affected by the pandemic as the restrictions begin to ease and the economy recovers.
