Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Feighan for raising this issue.

The FÁS community employment programme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed-term basis. Community employment helps unemployed people to re-enter the open labour market by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and assisting them to enhance both their technical and personal skills.

CE is not designed to cater for short-term unemployed persons as they are not as far removed from the open labour market as the main client group for the programme. All CE places are filled on an ongoing basis, as the demand always exceeds the number of places available. FÁS also provides a range of programmes aimed specifically at the short-term unemployed, details of which are available from any FÁS employment services office, any local employment service office or from the FÁS website.

I am advised by FÁS that CE positions in the Roscommon area are currently filled to budgeted capacity. In terms of partaking in short-term employment prior to commencing CE, breaks from the live register up to a maximum of 30 days in the 12 months prior to application are allowed in assessing eligibility for CE.

Funding for CE in 2009 has been provided with a view to maintaining overall numbers on FÁS schemes. At present there are more than 22,000 people participating on CE schemes nationally. In delivering these places, FÁS operates flexibly in the management of this allocation in order to maximise progression to the labour market while at the same time facilitating the support of community services. This provision of places is managed through a standardised application process between regional FÁS offices and local sponsor and community organisations and any issues regarding the allocation of places are dealt with in this context. However, it should be remembered that participants, in so far as they remain on CE, are precluding someone else from benefiting from the programme. FÁS makes every effort to ensure that differing levels of demand between neighbouring schemes are equalised. FÁS also operates the programme flexibly as far as possible to ensure the continuation of community projects.

The 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. We are keeping the operation of the scheme under constant review in the context of the current difficult unemployment situation.

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