Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

In these difficult times, I welcome the fact that the Minister is able to provide €977 million in employment supports. This is up from the €882 million provided in 2011. This is a remarkable achievement in the difficult circumstances in which we live.

I want to focus on the great value community employment schemes have provided and will continue to provide in terms of the uplift they give to the community and the individuals involved. It is important we focus on this because some of the organisations that only look at the pure economics of issues do not realise the significance of this contribution. I would like to pay tribute to three groups in my constituency, first of which is the school in which I used to work which catered for physically disabled children, Scoil Mochua. I compliment the great work that has been and is being done by community employment workers there, both for the children and for themselves through making use of the educational opportunities provided. Another example is the one I visited yesterday, a project in south-west Clondalkin where last year 66% of the people leaving the programme went into permanent employment. That is no mean achievement in 2010. I also compliment the great work done by the Clondalkin addict support programme which has done a great deal to tackle the scourge of drug addiction in our community as well as lifting some former drug addicts out of their condition. It is important to focus on these things in this debate.

See this speech in context