Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The issues we are dealing with on the Adjournment today are related because of the recession. Clearly the issue of placement on CE and that of FÁS training centres are matters of major concern to the unemployed and the constituents we represent.

The most recent figures for January bring the number unemployed up to more than 327,000, which is a record number. According to the Taoiseach, the figure will top the 400,000 mark by the end of the year which, indeed, will be a new record by far.

Obviously, there is a major problem presenting itself. From that point of view the key policy of the Government in this respect should be to ensure that those who lose their jobs, with all this entails, do not end up in long-term unemployment. This requires that a range of support services be made available.

Obviously, what we have heard already in terms of apprentice placements should be examined carefully by FÁS, the DIT and other institutions. The number on CE schemes should be increased considerably. There are 22,000 participants at present, as the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, stated earlier. That has been the number for a long time. It was 24,000 not so long ago. The Minister of State could easily double that number. These are recessionary times. He might be keeping an eye on what is happening but he would need to do something about it once he sees that it is not adequate to deal with the problem. My concern is that we ensure that all of these measures, such as the back to education programme, back to work allowance, retraining, reskilling and CE schemes are in place.

FÁS, of course, is the major provider of such services for the unemployed particularly in terms of training services. I refer to one of the major training services provided in the city of Dublin, the Jervis Street FÁS. It is the only one on the north side of the city in Dublin 1. The training facilities of that centre are about to close. In fact, they will be gone within the next few weeks. It seems unthinkable that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment should be closing down training facilities anywhere in the country at this time. We are about to lose approximately 250 training placements in this centre and that will deprive the entire north side of FÁS training facilities.

Most of the staff have been moved from Jervis Street. The last connections class for the newly unemployed will finish by the end of this week. The last photography class finishes next month and all the computer, IT and retail classes have closed down. The premises are virtually idle and the staff have been moved elsewhere.

There has been a €2.5 million refurbishment and re-equipment of the D'Olier Street FÁS centre but that deals with employment rather than training services. The new employment service that will be moved from FÁS to the Peats site in Parnell Street is also an employment service, not a training service. They are not in any sense replacements for the training services that have been lost.

I would remind the Minister of State that in these exceptional times of recession, the expansion of training facilities should be a priority and it really is unconscionable that existing services should be closed down when they are most needed.

Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank Deputy Costello for raising this issue.

I will outline briefly the respective roles FÁS and the Tánaiste play in training and employment offices. The Tánaiste's role is to provide public funding and overall policy direction to FÁS rather than to get involved in its day to day operational management. Decisions of this nature are day to day operational matters for FÁS as part of its responsibilities under the Labour Services Act 1987.

Before I address the Deputy's specific concern about the FÁS office in Jervis Street, I will make a general comment on the facilities it offer its clients on a countrywide level, as well as setting out the financial commitment this Government has made in recent years in ensuring that FÁS continues to provide high quality services to its customers.

Through a regional network of 66 offices and 20 training centres, FÁS provides a comprehensive nationwide service of training programmes as well as providing a recruitment service to jobseekers, an advisory resource for industry and support mechanisms for community-based enterprises. In the past five years the Department invested more than €125 million in capital expenditure alone to ensure that FÁS continues to provide the highest quality facilities for its customers throughout its network. This investment includes a new state of the art training centre in Tallaght and a complete refurbishment of an existing facility in Ballyfermot. Major refurbishment projects have also been carried out on FÁS facilities in Finglas, Cork, Sligo and Limerick.

To turn to the Deputy's concern regarding the closure of its facilities in Jervis Street, Dublin 1, I understand from FÁS that this facility consists of a training centre, employment services office and also houses the city centre community services staff. It is the second busiest employment service office in the country, and together with D'Olier House, Dublin 2, accounts for more than 30% of employment services activity in the country. FÁS has been using these two city centre facilities since the early eighties. In 2006 the landlord of the premises at Jervis Street was granted planning permission to develop the site and had requested FÁS to vacate the building. Notwithstanding this the lease for the premises in Jervis Street will expire in July this year. FÁS has made arrangements for a suitable alternative ground floor location in the area for employment services and community services. These services will be located in Parnell Street, close to the existing premises.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

That is not true.

Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The centre will be located in the same building as the new office of the Department of Social and Family Affairs, thereby facilitating those seeking to avail of the services of both offices. The expectation is that the premises will be ready and operational by July.

FÁS also plans to further develop the Employment Services office at D'Olier House by increasing the public usage area in order to provide its clients with an enhanced walk-in self-service operation. I understand that the board of FÁS has approved the estimated fit out costs in respect of both premises.

On the training services provided by FÁS at the Jervis Street premises, approximately 80% of those who receive training there are from outside the area. The continuing demographic changes in the city as well as the high costs of renting suitable extensive facilities for training purposes in the area mean that it is more cost-effective to redeploy the city centre training programmes to other Dublin training centres. Such redeployment has already commenced for longer-term programmes to ensure minimum disruption for the trainees involved.

I cannot overemphasise the importance of the role FÁS has to play in the Irish economy and society as this country faces into a very challenging period. The Government, therefore, remains wholly committed to giving FÁS the resources it needs to continue to provide high quality training and employment services that are relevant to the needs of today's labour market.