Michael Conaghan (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

- - - - - and a whole range of services as well as the individual advancement of the participant. We are in a position to stake stock and we should do that before the scheme is irretrievably damaged.

I welcome the campaign by SIPTU on community employment schemes. In its vision, community employment is a social policy intervention, which it wanted restored. That was its role and it can be again. We must not cross this mark of diminishing it and taking away some of its dynamic qualities.

I had a number of meeting with the Minister and the chief executive officer of the City of Dublin VEC. I have been putting forward the idea that for many people taking up a place on a community employment schemes might be their only chance to experience education and training. I was not always happy about some of the private providers. It is very important that the VEC, which has a tradition of more than 100 years in the city of providing education and training, plays a role in community employment. It is a credible body that can stand over training and education and will give a profile to the community employment schemes that offer reassurance of their quality.

Everyone knows about the VEC. Its schools are in every community. People know it has credibility. I welcome that. I have had a number of meetings with the Minister and the chief executive of the City of Dublin VEC about the importance of bringing the VEC into the centre of community employment. I will conclude by emphasising that we must halt the drift towards the weakening of this provision. Individuals and communities will suffer if we do not. Neither of them deserves to suffer.