Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment of the House. While I have nothing against my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, I hoped to see the new Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment replying to this matter tonight. It is a very important matter to do with the five RAPID areas of Limerick City that are the most deprived parts of the city, as the Minister of State will be well aware, and the threat to the job initiative positions in those five areas, namely, Moyross, Southill, St. Mary's, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Munchin's. Approximately 200 people stand to lose their jobs within the next five to six months as a result.

These communities are very deprived and unfortunately are frequently cited in the media because of various problems but they have a wonderful community spirit and the job initiative workers particularly, do invaluable work. It is community sabotage if these jobs are allowed to go.

The work includes maintenance of green areas in the estates and running crèches for children. In Moyross, the work includes monitoring cameras, which is of assistance to the Garda. Some of the workers have given evidence in murder trials. They provide meals for elderly people. There is support for the schools in the form of well-known sports people coaching the children and literacy classes and a wide variety of activities are organised in these communities.

I cannot understand how a Government that is now saying it will try to lift all boats, is caring and sharing and concerned about the marginalised, can allow this to happen. The Minister of State will be aware that the time frame for addressing this issue is very short. The communities have been informed they must cut the overall numbers on job initiative by either two or three in each community and people have already been put on notice in that regard. The other issue is that people who have been on the scheme for more than three years have been informed they must go within six months, probably five months from now. There are not people available who are eligible to take over these jobs in the schemes because applicants must be over 35 years and five years unemployed.

We propose that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment give a year's grace in order that a sound framework can be established to set up what I describe as a community jobs scheme similar to the rural jobs scheme already in existence under the auspices of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. These community jobs are worth doing for their own sake and should not be reliant on what FÁS describes as labour market interventions. It is essential that these jobs be taken away from FÁS because its remit is not to provide support for communities but rather to provide labour market interventions that lead people on to full employment. The communities need this work; the people are doing an excellent job. These communities should not be abandoned and the work is of significant importance to them. The people involved are making great efforts to improve the lives and the environment of the community around them. I want them to be given a year's grace to allow for setting up a permanent scheme to provide for community jobs to do the work currently being undertaken by people on the job initiative scheme so that it can be continued on a sustained and long-term basis. Time is of the essence and we need a decision from Government. We require cross-departmental and sensible thinking, otherwise these communities will suffer hugely.

See this speech in context