Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this evening's debate on the Gateway scheme. Since the recent announcement of the roll-out of Gateway placements to local authorities, I have received a number of inquiries from constituents who would like to know how they can apply for placements. While the Opposition will oppose for the sake of it, I have absolutely no doubt that this scheme will be welcomed by many people. The aim of the Gateway scheme is to try to help the long-term unemployed back into the workforce. When a person has been out of work for a number of years, it affects their confidence. Such people can quickly lose track of the regular daily routine. Some unemployed people stay up late at night and stay in bed late the following day not through laziness, but because they do not have a purpose for getting up in the morning. When a person falls into this trap, it can have a devastating impact on his or her mental health.

We are all familiar with the success of programmes like Tús, the community employment scheme and the rural social scheme. Last week, I was contacted by a constituent who completed a 12-month term on a community employment scheme last year and is now very eager to apply for a Gateway placement. When I inquired into the matter, I discovered that he is not eligible for Gateway because the period he spent on a community employment scheme does not count towards the requirement to have spent 24 months as a jobseeker. The person in question was extremely disappointed to learn that he is ineligible. He could quite easily have sat at home and received his jobseeker's payment, but instead he wanted to work and engage with the system. He told me he was fed up looking at the same four walls throughout the day and he wanted an opportunity to do something productive. I ask the Minister to give serious consideration to allowing time spent on programmes like the community employment and Tús schemes to count towards the requirement to have spent 24 months as a jobseeker. Alternatively, it should be possible for some discretion to be shown at local level when eligibility for the Gateway scheme is being determined.

I welcome the decision to provide 55 placement opportunities each to Monaghan and Cavan county councils this year and thereby allow participants in the scheme to gain valuable work experience. I do not doubt that this will assist them when they try to secure employment in the future. At the same time, they will be contributing to their local communities. I have listened to some of the scaremongering with regard to this scheme. It is not true that college graduates will be forced to take up work such as cleaning streets. Indeed, the manner in which this has been suggested is insulting to the hard-working people who currently carry out such necessary work on behalf of local authorities. The selection process for Gateway placements will involve an interview and a skills-matching process. I have no doubt that the Department of Social Protection and the local authorities will seek to ensure participants are matched with placements that are suitable to their qualifications and experience.

I want to commend the Minister, Deputy Burton, on her proactive approach to labour activation. The Opposition is continuing to criticise schemes like JobBridge, but there is overwhelming evidence that they are helping people to find their way into the workforce. I believe the Gateway scheme will have a similarly positive impact on many people. It will give them an opportunity to put their existing work skills into practice, thereby standing them in good stead when they are seeking employment in the future. I will conclude by asking the Minister again to take on board my suggestion that it should be possible for periods of time spent on community employment schemes to count towards the requirement to have spent 24 months as a jobseeker.

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