Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

The primary purpose of community employment as an active labour market programme is to reintegrate long-term unemployed persons into open labour market jobs. CE provides unemployed people with temporary opportunities whereby they can develop their skills and obtain a recent track record of work experience.

FÁS continues to develop the content of the CE programme. The new approach involves the introduction of an individual learner plan process focused on meeting the learning needs of participants. The individual learner plan provides for the planning, organising and recording of the work experience, training and development that each participant receives while working on CE. It also includes further training and development for supervisors, a new application process and quality assurance procedures. The new approach should provide substantial benefits to FÁS clients and give increased value for the training budget invested.

In 1999 the community employment programme was restructured to limit participation by new participants to three years, with effect from April 2000. This change was introduced to encourage unemployed persons to progress to training, education and employment where possible. However, this three-year cap was amended in August 2001 to allow particularly disadvantaged persons to remain on the programme for a further period. In general, approximately 20% of participants, including persons less than 55 years of age, have benefited from an additional year on the programme under the flexibility guidelines introduced in August 2001.

On foot of a review of FÁS employment schemes, which included detailed consultations with social partners, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment introduced changes to community employment and other employment schemes with effect from 10 November 2004. The change to the community employment programme removed the three-year cap for persons aged 55 or older. This change means that over-55s are now eligible to participate on community employment for a maximum of five years. In the case of persons advancing beyond 55 years during their normal period of service on CE, participation can also be extended for up to a maximum of six years. The new arrangements were designed to address the particular difficulty of finding replacements to participate in community employment schemes in certain rural areas. They also help to secure the continuity of community services generally.

Combined with the rural social scheme, under the aegis of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, which provides 2,500 places, the existing community service support framework is therefore being maintained. The current ring-fencing and prioritisation procedures for the essential services of child care, health related services and drugs task force clients are also being maintained. For those aged under 55, the normal service of up to three years maximum has continued to apply, subject to the current flexibility guidelines I mentioned earlier which allow for an additional year of participation. The continuation of ring-fencing and the extended participation on CE by older workers help to secure the continuity of community services generally and ensure that the existing community service support framework will be maintained.

In addition to the changes introduced on CE, it was also announced in November 2004 that participants remaining on job initiative will have their contracts renewed annually. Participants who leave the programme voluntarily are, where practicable, replaced by CE participants to support the service being provided. It was also announced that 25,000 places would be available annually on FÁS employment programmes which comprise community employment, social economy and job initiative. The figures at the end of last year showed that the total number of places on the three programmes was approximately 26,000. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has recently taken over responsibility for the social economy programme which has been renamed the community services programme.

This Government will continue to support the positive role of CE in meeting the needs of long-term unemployed persons while at the same time providing essential services to communities. In this regard, we are keeping the operation of the community employment scheme under constant review.

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