Dáil debates

Wednesday, 28 September 2005

 

Community Employment Schemes.

3:00 pm

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The main purpose of the community employment programme is to provide work experience and training for the long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups to enable participants to advance successfully to employment in the open labour market. FÁS also endeavours to ensure that local communities are supported in the delivery of services, particularly in the health, child care and drugs task force areas, which have been ring-fenced with numbers maintained at the 2002 levels.

As I announced on 10 November last, FÁS employment programmes, which comprise community employment, social economy and job initiative, will provide 25,000 places overall in 2005.

I am informed by FÁS that the number of participants on CE was 24,992 on 1 January 2003; 19,848 on 1 January 2004; and 22,194 on 1 January 2005. FÁS anticipates that the numbers on the scheme by the end of the year will be broadly in line with the January 2005 level.

The increase from three to six years in the time that over-55s may participate in CE schemes, which I announced in November, should help to ensure that there will be sufficient people available to fill the places on offer. No further changes are planned regarding the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

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