The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
My Department has supported CE schemes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. CE participants, whose contracts were due to end during the periods of restrictions, have had their contracts extended for the duration of those restrictions.
In June this year, I announced that the existing CE participants' contract extension date would be further extended until 29/10/2021 and that the conclusion of these places would be undertaken on a coordinated and phased basis. Over 11,000 CE and Tús participants are benefiting from this latest contract extension up to the end of October next. This approach will give participants time to complete training and work experience, while also supporting the delivery of important community services.
While the extension of placements helps to alleviate immediate pressures, it is important to note that CE placements are intended to be temporary and subject to time limits. This is to ensure the continued availability of places on CE schemes for other candidates. The current extensions will therefore be reviewed as the economy re-opens and we would hope that we can return to a normal level of throughput in order that places will be available to new candidates including those displaced from employment due to COVID-19.
I will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services while ensuring places are available for the those who are long term unemployed.
The Deputy may be interested to know that the CE scheme to which he referred currently has 2 vacancies and candidates will be in place to fill these vacancies shortly.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
