Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

The high-level group on labour market issues was established under the provisions of Towards 2016: Review and Transitional Agreement 2008-2009, which was ratified in October 2008. The high-level group is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprises two representatives from each of the social partner pillars and senior officials from several Departments. The group met in January of this year. A framework for a pact for stabilisation, social solidarity and economic renewal was negotiated with the social partners in late January. This pact covered a range of areas, including maximising employment and helping those who lose their jobs.

Members of the high-level group were also among the participants in a meeting held on 24 September 2009 to provide suggestions arising from the practical experience of active labour market programmes. The ideas raised on that occasion are feeding into current work in the area of further activation initiatives.

The Cabinet sub-committee has co-ordinated a range of innovative and significant actions for protecting jobs and assisting those who become unemployed to return to the labour market. Labour market issues have been discussed at ten of the Cabinet committee's 14 meetings.

The new actions include doubling of the provision of training and work experience places managed by FÁS to over 130,000; increasing the referral capacity of FÁS employment services from the Department of Social and Family Affairs to 147,000 persons in 2009; and establishing the employment subsidy scheme to protect, directly or indirectly, over approximately 80,000 jobs at a total cost of €135 million over 2009 and 2010. I assure the House that the area of employment, in all its facets, is a central priority for the Government.

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