John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Young people with disabilities and their parents deserve all the supports they can get to give the equality they deserve. I had and still have some concerns about an issue mentioned earlier, the community employment schemes, particularly the reduction in funding for training and materials. That is going down from €1,500 to €500 and when I heard it first, I was very alarmed by the provision. Along with many others here I am very conscious of the effects of the schemes, having seen at first hand the positive role that participants can play in their community. Sometimes debate in the House can be divided between the rural and urban areas but the community employment schemes, whether in a rural or urban setting, play a magnificent part in their communities. There are 24,000 of them and there should be more. There were more than 40,000 of them when we had an economic crisis in the 1980s.

These schemes give a second chance, which we should remember. The first safety net is employment but the second safety net for many people is in these schemes. I have confidence that the Minister will not allow any of these schemes to wind down as a result of changes in provisions. I am glad of the assurances I received today that each and every scheme will be examined. Those doing a good job will get more funding to continue the work, which we need now more than ever.

As I noted at the beginning, this is an impossible task. Only seven, eight or ten years ago, the job support levels of FÁS, for example, were €1 billion per year. Deputy Troy mentioned some of the community employment schemes and I absolve him from any blame, but there is a monument to FÁS in his constituency that has not been used and which has a boardroom table in it costing €11,000. That is the kind of wastage that used to occur. The current Minister is trying to achieve a balance where there is little room. From the greatest challenge comes the greatest opportunity.

There is sometimes a perception that the participants on these schemes do simple or menial tasks but I was amazed to see, at first hand in my community, what is done. I am glad of the reassurances given by the Minister on the funding for these schemes. This is in the overall context of €100 million extra being provided for job supports, with €20 million announced the other day by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin. I ask that some of that €20 million be put into supporting and expanding the community employment schemes throughout the country. Many thousands of people depend on this second chance and cannot lose that safety net.

I received a communication today from somebody on such a scheme, which I will read into the record. The letter states:

I had worked full-time since my daughter was six weeks old in 2000 and continued to work full-time until the shop in which I worked closed in 2009. I was very fortunate to get a position on a community employment scheme in November 2010 and I was really struggling to pay the rent at that time. It was a life-saver. I had used any little bit of savings I had in the 14 months I was unemployed, so to get on the scheme was absolutely brilliant. We by no means lived a fancy life and even when I was working full-time we were just about getting by. I always had a very positive outlook and things were just getting better.

There is also the risk that my scheme will simply not be viable to run in the new year with the proposed cuts in training and materials so this job may be taken away from me. Believe me, I much rather being at work than sitting at home getting jobseeker's.

See this speech in context