Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of persons on community employment places at 1 January 2003, 1 January 2004, January 2005 and the anticipated numbers at 31 December 2005; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties faced by many community and voluntary groups due to the shortage of community employment places; if any changes are planned with regard to eligibility to participate in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25428/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The main purpose of the community employment programme is to provide work experience and training for the long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged groups to enable participants to advance successfully to employment in the open labour market. FÁS also endeavours to ensure that local communities are supported in the delivery of services, particularly in the health, child care and drugs task force areas, which have been ring-fenced with numbers maintained at the 2002 levels.

As I announced on 10 November last, FÁS employment programmes, which comprise community employment, social economy and job initiative, will provide 25,000 places overall in 2005.

I am informed by FÁS that the number of participants on CE was 24,992 on 1 January 2003; 19,848 on 1 January 2004; and 22,194 on 1 January 2005. FÁS anticipates that the numbers on the scheme by the end of the year will be broadly in line with the January 2005 level.

The increase from three to six years in the time that over-55s may participate in CE schemes, which I announced in November, should help to ensure that there will be sufficient people available to fill the places on offer. No further changes are planned regarding the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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What is the Minister's attitude to community employment? Does he regard it as a valuable and important scheme that is no longer primarily for work experience and training as originally envisaged when Deputy Quinn established it at a time of high unemployment, but to undertake valuable community work that would otherwise not be done? If that is the case, does the Minister believe it is time he developed a new emphasis to ensure that the valuable work undertaken by community employment continues? Does he see a role for himself as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in ensuring that such work continues?

Regarding the over-55s, would he consider ensuring that, where people are fit and able and wish to continue beyond the six-year roll-over that he has granted, it will be possible? The extension was previously three years, and the Minister announced in November that there would be a six-year extension beyond 55 where people are fit and able for useful work beyond that age, in line with the view now of people continuing hale and hearty into their 60s and working.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am somewhat surprised by the question, since the CE scheme is primarily a labour market intervention.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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It was originally envisaged as such.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, and it still should be. I do not agree with the Deputy that we should detract from it.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That is interesting.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In 2002, the progression to employment for CE participants was 41%, and in 2003 it was 46%. That means almost half of those on CE schemes progressed to full employment, the original and continuing motivation behind the CE programme itself. On the jobs initiative, there has been a progression of approximately 40%.

My preference is to transfer the social economy scheme to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, since it supports community initiatives and has not really developed as a labour market progression measure. I have been in discussions with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, with a view to moving it to his Department —"mainstreaming" might be the wrong term — to provide a more secure underpinning for those community enterprises supported by the social economy programme.

We should not write off CE participants when it comes to progressing to full-time employment. With that in mind, in my discussions with FÁS last November, I asked that the content of programmes be examined to see whether we might do more to get certain people on CE schemes back into the workplace. FÁS is in the process of modifying the content of the CE programme, and the new approach will see the introduction of an individual learner planning process that will focus on meeting participants' learning needs. That individual learner plan will provide for the planning, organisation and recording of the work experience, training and development that each participant receives while working in community employment. It is to include further training and development for supervisors, a new application process and quality assurance procedures. I hope it will provide additional benefits to FÁS clients on that programme.

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister review the situation of people aged between 50 and 55, many of whom cannot get a place on the scheme? Many are aged just over 50 and for one reason or another cannot find employment in their own community.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I am intrigued by the Minister's response, since I feel the scheme has evolved well beyond a simple labour market initiative and into an acknowledgement of important work. My question's basic thrust was whether the Minister would present a revised scheme retaining the labour market initiative component within his Department and finally acknowledging an important social employment, full-time work programme through the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Is that the sort of project on which he is now working, and when will it be presented to the House?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am equally intrigued by the Deputy's proposition. We must be careful that we do not fall between two stools. The community employment programme does valuable——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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For the Progressive Democrats, there is no such thing as community employment.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Clearly, community employment helps communities, but its primary purpose is to help the individual through providing a bridge from unemployment to full-time work. That should remain the primary focus.

Regarding Deputy Hayes's question on the over-50s and over-55s, we must be careful that we allow enough capacity within the overall programme to absorb new entrants from the unemployment register on to CE schemes so that there is genuine progression. The danger, if we get into the business of people remaining on CE schemes for ever, is that we might end up with no space and no possibility of access. We made significant changes last November, and I want those to bed down to see how they are operating. We will analyse and evaluate that situation not only in the context of the Deputy's questions but to see how it has worked hitherto. We will see if there is more room for the type of thing the Deputy suggested.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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There is a number of complaints in regard to the differing benefits available under rural community schemes and community employment schemes when the three years have elapsed. There is some disquiet among those seeking to claim welfare benefits or secondary benefits after completing community employment schemes vis-À-vis their counterparts taking part in the schemes devised by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív. Will the Minister comment on this?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am loath to intervene in respect of my colleague's formulae and solutions for addressing the needs of rural Ireland as he has ascertained them.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is a generous scheme.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, is a sensitive soul.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has the capacity to generate schemes that meet the needs of rural and remote communities. In creating that Department and appointing Deputy Ó Cuív as Minister, the Taoiseach clearly demonstrated the Government's commitment to rural Ireland. The Minister has been responsible for devising schemes that are tailor-made for rural communities and the success of the scheme is testimony to the Government's commitment in this regard.