Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister about the work placement and experience programme included in No. 5. Can she give us more detail on that? Will the work placement be like the youth employment support scheme, YESS, where employers come forward and it works that way?

Will there be an increase in payment for people who take part in that?

I have been contacted by a number of people over the age of 66 who could not get the PUP or the enterprise support grant, which, in the grand scheme of things, is a small payment of up to €1,000 for someone going back to work. If someone is over the age of 66, he or she will be locked out of that and will be unable to get the PUP if self-employed. Could there be any leeway to allow those over 66 who are self-employed and returning to work to be able to get some part of the grant? It seems that they are caught whichever way they turn.

The additional 3,000 places on community employment, CE, and Tús are really welcome. I hope there will now be a focus on the likes of CE, Tús, and community-based and local employment service, LES, schemes in the community and not for profit, which are really important. What will this mean for JobPath and whether referrals will end this year? They were supposed to end at the end of last year but that was brought forward and extended by 12 months. Will that now end?

Over-55s can now remain on the CE scheme for only three years. Can there be more flexibility? If someone is 55 years old and goes on the scheme, he or she will have to finish up at 58 or 59 years old. It would be much better if they could stay on the scheme longer when they are in their late 50s and coming off the scheme. It might also be examined to see whether it could be extended to 60-year-olds.