Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Brendan Griffin for raising this important issue on easing eligibility for qualification on the community employment scheme. It is important that we have these debates.

Regarding the broader issue, the Department of Social Protection will spend more than €1 billion in 2016 on work, training and education places in support of jobseekers. Expenditure, and the number of schemes and participants, has increased significantly in recent years in a response to the high levels of unemployment, which peaked at 15%. The number of places available on work programmes, including CE schemes, has grown from 25,000 in 2010 to just over 39,000 in 2016. That is a 56% increase. Schemes such as CE play a significant role in helping jobseekers maintain important work skills. Erosion of confidence and work skills, including soft skills related to teamwork, communication, planning and so on, is a significant issue over long periods of unemployment. However, there has been a significant and welcome reduction in unemployment levels.

CE is an employment programme with the aim of helping the long-term unemployed to re-enter the workforce by breaking their cycle of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine. CE also provides training and development to participants. The current eligibility criteria for the programme have been expanded over the years. The criteria have been set to specifically target certain groups for the programme. The basic eligibility requirement is that a person must be currently in receipt of a CE-qualifying payment such as jobseeker's allowance from the Department of Social Protection for a minimum period of 12 months. Recent changes to the eligibility criteria for CE include a reduction in the entry age for CE participants working directly with service users in the child care and social and health care sectors to 21 years of age. The standard minimum entry age for CE is 25 years of age. The eligibility criteria for participants aged 62 and over have been eased in terms of the maximum duration they can remain on the programme, subject to certain conditions. Customers who are not eligible for the CE programme may be eligible for other interventions from the Department of Social Protection. The eligibility criteria for CE are kept under review to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and that there is maximum utilisation of CE places.

I will bring Deputy Griffin's proposals to the Minister. I accept that we must be responsive to the needs of the community. I also agree with the strong points he made regarding lone parents.

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