Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

The issues we are dealing with on the Adjournment today are related because of the recession. Clearly the issue of placement on CE and that of FÁS training centres are matters of major concern to the unemployed and the constituents we represent.

The most recent figures for January bring the number unemployed up to more than 327,000, which is a record number. According to the Taoiseach, the figure will top the 400,000 mark by the end of the year which, indeed, will be a new record by far.

Obviously, there is a major problem presenting itself. From that point of view the key policy of the Government in this respect should be to ensure that those who lose their jobs, with all this entails, do not end up in long-term unemployment. This requires that a range of support services be made available.

Obviously, what we have heard already in terms of apprentice placements should be examined carefully by FÁS, the DIT and other institutions. The number on CE schemes should be increased considerably. There are 22,000 participants at present, as the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, stated earlier. That has been the number for a long time. It was 24,000 not so long ago. The Minister of State could easily double that number. These are recessionary times. He might be keeping an eye on what is happening but he would need to do something about it once he sees that it is not adequate to deal with the problem. My concern is that we ensure that all of these measures, such as the back to education programme, back to work allowance, retraining, reskilling and CE schemes are in place.

FÁS, of course, is the major provider of such services for the unemployed particularly in terms of training services. I refer to one of the major training services provided in the city of Dublin, the Jervis Street FÁS. It is the only one on the north side of the city in Dublin 1. The training facilities of that centre are about to close. In fact, they will be gone within the next few weeks. It seems unthinkable that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment should be closing down training facilities anywhere in the country at this time. We are about to lose approximately 250 training placements in this centre and that will deprive the entire north side of FÁS training facilities.

Most of the staff have been moved from Jervis Street. The last connections class for the newly unemployed will finish by the end of this week. The last photography class finishes next month and all the computer, IT and retail classes have closed down. The premises are virtually idle and the staff have been moved elsewhere.

There has been a €2.5 million refurbishment and re-equipment of the D'Olier Street FÁS centre but that deals with employment rather than training services. The new employment service that will be moved from FÁS to the Peats site in Parnell Street is also an employment service, not a training service. They are not in any sense replacements for the training services that have been lost.

I would remind the Minister of State that in these exceptional times of recession, the expansion of training facilities should be a priority and it really is unconscionable that existing services should be closed down when they are most needed.

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