Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

My involvement with community employment schemes extends back as far as the AnCo days, which pre-date FÁS. Consequently, I am familiar with the valuable work done by such schemes for and within the communities, as well as for the participants. Part of my experience has been with highly disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people in the north inner city. The schemes there gave the participants the opportunities to progress into the workplace and even into further training and education. Community employment schemes supply an array of services to communities and I refer to an internal report of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on child care and after-school schemes, which stated such schemes do not help people to get a job. I disagree because these schemes have given the parents of those children the opportunity to avail of schemes. In addition, one must recognise that certain schemes are mainly social in nature and are for extremely marginalised and vulnerable people. They provide such people with a focus for each day and what they do is invaluable in respect of enhancing confidence and self-esteem, as well as in providing courses on parenting skills, nutrition and health.

As for drug rehabilitation programmes, I acknowledge the recent positive response from the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, about the ring-fenced places in this regard. Participants in such schemes have a history of little formal education, very low literacy and numeracy, mental health issues and general poor health. In addition, some have criminal records and extremely difficult family circumstances. They have been supported through the schemes, which have done monumental work. Some of those schemes had participants who were highly medicated when they joined the schemes but who now are drug-free, which is something on which the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, is very keen. I know many of those involved and have attended such programmes where one can see men and women, boys and girls with their lives back. They do not cost the State what they would cost, were they still in addition or within the criminal justice system. They have gone on to employment, further education and act as support and as mentors for those struggling with their addictions.

The cuts will disproportionately affect certain people. While reviews are welcome, the manner in which this was announced was most unfortunate. It was followed by confused and contradictory messages and cuts were implemented while the review was going on. Finally, the review cannot be an exercise in filling in a form about expenditure. There is a different kind of review and a different balance sheet, which is about life and the effect on life. These schemes have let people back into society to become productive members of, and contributors to, community life and many of them have regained their families in the process. Moreover, they have not burdened this country in the way the faceless financial gangsters have.

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