Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

Community employment schemes, in their present format, are totally unsuitable for the current unemployment crisis. One must be unemployed and in receipt of a social welfare payment for 12 months to get on a CE scheme and if one works for one or two weeks at any time, one must start back again and remain unemployed for 52 weeks to qualify. These conditions are very severe.

There needs to be leverage on eligibility criteria for CE schemes. One way would be to reduce the unemployment criteria to six months and give applicants six months on a CE scheme rather than the present format where one must be 12 months unemployed and when one gets a place on a CE scheme one can stay on it for three to four years. This would give genuine people with qualifications in child care, health care, office management, etc. who find themselves unemployed an opportunity to qualify for a place on a CE scheme. The benefit will be in getting work experience and preparing them for the labour market.

The objectives in the present climate should be to give as many unemployed people as possible a place on a CE scheme to ensure they can upskill and return to the workforce as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The increasing numbers on the live register are causing serious upset. People become very agitated when they see jobs advertised locally and apply for them only to find that they do not qualify because of the 12 month unemployment criterion. At times vacant posts are not filled despite the high unemployment figures due to the present strict criteria.

Many people who find themselves unemployed desperately want to get back into the workforce. The CE schemes are vital to ensure that they get upskilled and reskilled, and also that they will be prepared when the upturn occurs. I ask the Minister of State to look seriously at this matter.

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