Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is not in breach of any of the conventions the Deputy has outlined, and he knows that very well. The best way to assist people who are distant from the workforce is to bring them back into employment. Several schemes that have been run by the Department of Social Protection have helped people immensely in returning to employment.

More than €1 billion is available in 2015 for employment and education supports for jobseekers and other welfare recipients across a number of schemes. Funding of the order of €22.4 million is being provided in the Department’s Vote in 2015 to cover placements under the Gateway scheme. At the end of January, 1,781 persons were employed by county and city councils. Of these, 85% are male and 15% are female. While a broad variety of work is provided by the councils, the majority of positions identified as being suitable for Gateway placements relate to services of an environmental or outdoor nature. A breakdown of the types of work being done illustrates this. Just under one third of participants are currently engaged in caretaking and the upkeep and repair of facilities, such as beaches, housing, and sports and community facilities. Roughly one quarter are employed in tourism and village and urban upkeep. More than one fifth of participants are employed on the development and maintenance of walks, leisure trails and heritage projects, including cemeteries and parks. Around 13% of participants are involved in supporting council administration and related services, and 5% are involved in the upkeep of roadways, with around 4% covering waste management. Gateway, Tús and other community schemes are designed to meet a range of objectives for the broader community and individual jobseekers.

It is unfortunate that the Deputy is not looking at the positives of the Gateway scheme. I have taken the time to meet Gateway participants and to listen to their stories, which are very enlightening and, to some degree, uplifting. The participants tell me about how long they have been out of the workforce, the opportunity and hope the scheme has given them, the network they have created and the friends they have made.

Already, participants are exiting the Gateway scheme into employment. The Deputy should take the time to talk to the participants. He may be very much surprised by their response. They are contributing to their communities and derive from this a sense of pride and fulfilment. Before being too negative about this, the Deputy should talk to some of the people involved in the scheme and working under it daily.

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