Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

It was on my watch that the decision was made to move the CE schemes and the employment support schemes relating to FÁS within the Department's remit. That was a good decision and, as a result of it, the Minister has been dealt a very good hand of cards because she has responsibility for the CE schemes, the community services programme and various other schemes.

In the context of training, those who are over 55 are allowed to remain on the schemes but I do not see the point in people engaging in training year after year. This is one of the changes I considered when I was in office and it is the reason the Tús programme exists. Basically, the line of progression was seen to be from CE schemes into Tús. It is my opinion that a mistake was made when the money relating to materials was cut. Introducing an across-the-board reduction in respect of training was also a mistake. I put it to the Minister that there are other savings which could have been made. Does she agree that considerable savings could be made by using the Tús model because this would mean there would be no need to have 400 separate companies paying fees to 400 sets of auditors or to have 400 individuals responsible for making up wages each week? The 53 companies operating under the Tús programme have available to them all the support they require and the wages relating to all of them are made up in Clifden, County Galway, each week. Perhaps the wages for the CE schemes could also be made up at this location?

Considerable savings could be made if the type of rational approach I am advocating were adopted. There is always a great deal of discussion with regard to quangos. Effectively, the CE schemes have given rise to the creation of 400 unnecessary quangos. Would it be possible to make further significant savings if, as is the case with Tús, a single insurance policy applied in respect of the CE schemes?

See this speech in context