Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Community employment schemes, in their present format, are totally unsuitable for the current unemployment crisis. One must be unemployed and in receipt of a social welfare payment for 12 months to get on a CE scheme and if one works for one or two weeks at any time, one must start back again and remain unemployed for 52 weeks to qualify. These conditions are very severe.

There needs to be leverage on eligibility criteria for CE schemes. One way would be to reduce the unemployment criteria to six months and give applicants six months on a CE scheme rather than the present format where one must be 12 months unemployed and when one gets a place on a CE scheme one can stay on it for three to four years. This would give genuine people with qualifications in child care, health care, office management, etc. who find themselves unemployed an opportunity to qualify for a place on a CE scheme. The benefit will be in getting work experience and preparing them for the labour market.

The objectives in the present climate should be to give as many unemployed people as possible a place on a CE scheme to ensure they can upskill and return to the workforce as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The increasing numbers on the live register are causing serious upset. People become very agitated when they see jobs advertised locally and apply for them only to find that they do not qualify because of the 12 month unemployment criterion. At times vacant posts are not filled despite the high unemployment figures due to the present strict criteria.

Many people who find themselves unemployed desperately want to get back into the workforce. The CE schemes are vital to ensure that they get upskilled and reskilled, and also that they will be prepared when the upturn occurs. I ask the Minister of State to look seriously at this matter.

Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Feighan for raising this issue.

The FÁS community employment programme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed-term basis. Community employment helps unemployed people to re-enter the open labour market by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and assisting them to enhance both their technical and personal skills.

CE is not designed to cater for short-term unemployed persons as they are not as far removed from the open labour market as the main client group for the programme. All CE places are filled on an ongoing basis, as the demand always exceeds the number of places available. FÁS also provides a range of programmes aimed specifically at the short-term unemployed, details of which are available from any FÁS employment services office, any local employment service office or from the FÁS website.

I am advised by FÁS that CE positions in the Roscommon area are currently filled to budgeted capacity. In terms of partaking in short-term employment prior to commencing CE, breaks from the live register up to a maximum of 30 days in the 12 months prior to application are allowed in assessing eligibility for CE.

Funding for CE in 2009 has been provided with a view to maintaining overall numbers on FÁS schemes. At present there are more than 22,000 people participating on CE schemes nationally. In delivering these places, FÁS operates flexibly in the management of this allocation in order to maximise progression to the labour market while at the same time facilitating the support of community services. This provision of places is managed through a standardised application process between regional FÁS offices and local sponsor and community organisations and any issues regarding the allocation of places are dealt with in this context. However, it should be remembered that participants, in so far as they remain on CE, are precluding someone else from benefiting from the programme. FÁS makes every effort to ensure that differing levels of demand between neighbouring schemes are equalised. FÁS also operates the programme flexibly as far as possible to ensure the continuation of community projects.

The Government will continue to support the positive role of CE in meeting the needs of long-term unemployed persons while at the same time providing essential services to communities. We are keeping the operation of the scheme under constant review in the context of the current difficult unemployment situation.

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Could I clarify——

John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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I am sorry, there is no opportunity to clarify. I cannot allow it.

Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I want clarity on what exactly "filled to budgeted capacity" means.

John Cregan (Limerick West, Fianna Fail)
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I am sorry, Deputy I cannot allow that. There is no opportunity to clarify.