Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. It is important to say that this year is 30 years since CE was first started. The impact it has had on Ireland over those 30 years has been extraordinary. They are often very low profile but there are 800 CE schemes around the country. We have some of the best community people working on them and they are doing some extraordinary things for people who need a hand up.

We have full employment but, as I said, there are groups that we have not reached yet. Some particularly good schemes have been focused on Travellers. Up in my own direction in Balbriggan there is a Roma-specific CE scheme. I would like to see more of them and we have potential for some more of them around the country. Unemployment rates among Travellers and Roma are very high. We have had some good examples of tailored CE schemes that can reach out to them and bridge that gap we have spoken about. I also want to acknowledge the DSP staff who have assisted in the referral process, particularly over the last year when it has been difficult to get referrals. We have actually kept CE figures steady in placements over the past 12 months. That is a significant achievement in itself when there are a lot of jobs out there.

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