Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Breen for raising this issue. The underlying eligibility criteria for entry to community employment has not changed. Eligibility for entry to community employment is based on applicants being in receipt of welfare payments for a defined length of time, notably jobseeker's allowance, jobseeker's benefit, one-parent family payment and persons in receipt of disability-related welfare payments. Persons in receipt of jobseeker's and lone-parent type payments can qualify for one year on community employment under the one-year part-time integration, PTI, option if in receipt of a payment for 12 months or more. Being in receipt of the same payments for three years or more qualifies a person for the part-time job option which can last up to three years, subject to annually renewable contracts. However, the practice of using the duration on a community employment scheme under the one-year part-time integration option, PTI, to build up eligibility to participate in the three-year part-time job option, was amended in a recent updating of community employment operating guidelines, published on 8 October 2012 and issued to CE sponsors and departmental staff.

The reason for this amendment was to reserve the longer time duration on CE for participants who are very distant from the labour market and most in need of the longer duration part-time job option. Some minor amendments were made to the CE operating guidelines based on feedback from staff and supervisors and this document will be updated as and when required.

I wish to clarify that this amendment will apply to new entrants only. This amendment is in line with the pathways to work policy where one third of the places on community employment schemes are focused on shorter, more intensive, active labour market interventions. The effect of this change will be to increase the number of vacancies available on CE schemes. The number of people able to avail of a CE placement will increase as more vacancies become available due to a greater number of exits from the programme. This still maintains the overall number of places on community employment schemes. The number of places on employment programmes in general, including CE, rural social scheme, Tús etc., is under continual review to ensure that it is adequate for the needs of the labour market. Since 3 April 2000, all community employment scheme participation is subject to the maximum participation limit of three years overall for those under 55 years of age and six years overall for those aged 55 to 65 years. Participants who were or are in receipt of a CE-qualifying disability-linked social welfare payment can avail of one additional year on top of these maxima. Department officials are actively liaising with sponsors to facilitate recruitment and to ensure continuity of service for projects and for the local communities.

I will refer to the schemes referred to by Deputy Breen. Kilrush youth centre services has 21 participants and one CE supervisor. It is due to roll over on 28 January 2013. It has eight vacancies to be filled under the current rules. A further six would have had to finish if the amended rule were applied to all CE participants and not just to new entrants. Exit interviews for these participants will be conducted as part of the individual learner plan process, along with a referral to the employment services. St. John the Baptist Association Limited, has 20 participants and rolled over on 29 October 2012.

The main objective of community employment is to enable long-term unemployed people to re-enter the labour market through the provision of training and work experience on a fixed term basis. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I wish to assure him that the Department of Social Protection will continue to liaise with the sponsors to fill vacancies on community employment schemes on an ongoing basis. I value community employment schemes. I have emphasised the retention of opportunities and placements for people who are so anxious to get back to work and to contribute to their community. However, as the Deputy is aware, we have offered an additional 11,000 places in Tús and in the JobBridge scheme. I hope to be able to continue to expand opportunities for people who are anxious to participate in community-type employment in their localities.

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