Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response but I am disappointed because there is a lack of clarity about what action will be taken by the Government on this issue. The Minister mentioned that there were 145 complaints but are people made aware of the mechanism for making complaints? Many people who came to me were not sure of that mechanism at all. I assure the Minister he would have thousands of complaints if he lets people know about that mechanism, as he should. He has the responsibility to let people know they are entitled to make the complaint.

At a local meeting in my constituency, local CE operators put forward a number of suggestions that could be considered and I appeal to the Minister to do so. They suggested reducing the criteria for CE schemes to nine months so those in receipt of jobseeker's benefit may take up positions. They have also suggested that jobseekers could have a choice, as they should do, if they received offers under both schemes. The Minister mentioned that there was some flexibility in this respect but I know of one case where a man was turned down but should have been on a CE scheme. These operators request that a referral to a CE scheme from JobPath should be an option and call for a new referral scheme, as the previous one has collapsed.

It seems these are reasonable and common sense proposals so will the Minister commit to supporting community employment schemes? Will he commit to a full review of the JobPath programme, with a full public consultation process and detailed consultation with all the relevant stakeholders, including local employment services and CE operators taking place as soon as possible. I appeal to the Minister to ensure people are aware of the complaints mechanism as in my experience they are not.

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