Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 50: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on initiating a national jobs activation scheme; if she has had communications with FÁS on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7748/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is determined to do all in its power to tackle the rise in numbers of people——

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Tánaiste.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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——Deputy Naughten is good at writing to me about them too — finding themselves without work or with reduced working weeks. Our approach to tackling the issue is multi-layered and centres on restoring our public finances, protecting employment across the economy, retraining those without work, and attracting new investment and jobs to our shores.

As regards strengthening our jobsearch supports, at my request, FÁS's employment services together with local employment services is putting in place measures designed to provide increased capacity in jobsearch supports for the increased number of unemployed. The implementation of these measures will increase capacity from 6,500 per month to at least 12,250 per month.

The Government is also working to significantly improve access for unemployed persons to maximise opportunities for upskilling and reskilling so that people will be better placed to avail of new job opportunities when they become available. A number of programmes are already in place and it is intended to expand greatly the frequency and range of these programmes over the coming months.

I recently announced the availability of 51,000 new training places under the FÁS training initiatives strategy, which brings to 78,000 the total short training course places under the bridging foundation training, specific skills training and traineeships programmes.

The training initiative strategy enhances the traditional mix of course offerings and will be delivered through three core training initiatives, short courses, night courses and on-line courses. The courses are for highly employable persons who wish to add to their existing skills level and improve their prospects of re-entering the labour market.

In addition, FÁS is responding to the major increase in the numbers of people within the construction sector who have found themselves out of work and the increase in the number of apprentices being made redundant.

We have established a training fund to provide a timely response to identified training and re-training needs for low-skilled and redundant craft workers from the construction sector. FÁS is also focusing on providing retraining opportunities for redundant construction workers in emerging areas such as the installation of energy efficient and renewable technologies, environmental activity, and compliance and regulatory work.

On redundant apprentices, my Department and FÁS have put in place a series of actions to facilitate more than 2,200 apprentices to complete their studies. These include apprentices being allowed to progress to their next off-the-job phase of training without having to do the next on-the-job phase. A register of redundant apprentices has been established by FÁS and the institutes of technology in order to identify these people at the earliest possible point and we have prioritised the need to locate an employer to sponsor the completion of the apprentices' off-the-job training.

Last year I announced the launch of FÁS employer-based redundant apprentice rotation scheme, which operates this year and aims to provide up to 500 redundant apprentices with on-the-job training with certain approved employers on a rotation basis.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Further help for those who have become distanced from the labour market for some time and who are seeking to re-enter is provided by the community employment, CE, scheme. CE 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.

While a significant amount of work has been done in a short space of time, the Government is intent on achieving greater capacity within existing resources. In this context we will bring forward further measures to make training and education services available to a greater number of unemployed persons over the coming weeks and months.

In addition to the activation measures that I have set out today, this Government's focus will also be very much on supporting the growth of Irish companies with the ambition, leadership and innovation to succeed in creating and sustaining employment.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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With respect, I will repeat the question. What are the Tánaiste's views on labour activation schemes? Is she for or against the concept? I have asked this repeatedly over the past eight or nine months. I acknowledge all the training initiatives and that the Tánaiste is making improvements in that regard, but what are her views on Government organised labour activation schemes?

I note her own reports in the newspaper today about what might be announced at the Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis, that is, letting people keep their benefits on going back to work. That is one idea of a scheme, but is she against the concept of Government organised labour activation schemes which would get people out there working on much needed projects such as school buildings, parks, walkways, train stations, bus stations and council housing stock? All such work could be done through Government activation schemes, either using the local authority or whatever. Is the Tánaiste against that concept, yes or no? I have been asking for a long time. I think it is a good concept. I have not received any reaction from the Government on that.

The Tánaiste visited SR Technics on Thursday last. Can she enlighten us any further? Is there any chance another company would be willing to buy it out? First, is SR Technics willing to sell to anybody? In addition, is there any way that the Government——

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy should ask a specific question.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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It is a specific question.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Deputy should a specific question on the matter.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Tánaiste was aware I would raise this.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Get the Tánaiste to answer it.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Can I get the question out? On reports that the Tánaiste will introduce a subsidy scheme to keep employees at work, would such a scheme be made available to SR Technics to keep some of the staff working? The company claims it is 20% more costly to do its work here and that cannot be passed on to the market. Can the Government step in to help the company with its costs along the lines of the scheme she was talking about in the newspaper?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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First, I did not say anything to the newspapers. Anything I have to do will be in confines of the Cabinet sub-committee.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Sorry, I meant reported in the newspaper. The Tánaiste knows what I mean.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Tánaiste without interruption.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Everything we are doing is activation. It is about getting people back into work and retraining. How that is done must be multifaceted because the people who are unemployed are coming from all types of skill bases and account must be taken of what will suit somebody with a particular skill less than FETAC 5, and over and above.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Tánaiste knows the question.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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We are providing a complementary number of initiatives, for example, internships and graduate placement, an activation measure which can be Government sponsored or otherwise.

We also have our community employment schemes. The Minister of State and I have been evaluating whether that can be expanded, one way or the other, and how that can be done, with the premise that it is an activation measure as opposed to an employment measure.

We are aware of the issues appertaining to schemes like this. The focus is specifically not on the issue which, unfortunately, can be entangled in a work fair type of idea. That is not necessarily where we are going. We are looking at training, re-training, internship and those types of opportunities for people with an array of skills.

There are situations whereby my Department's State agencies do not provide new retraining. There are institutes of technology, universities, PLCs, and VTOS. There will be a suite of measures in place which will be client focused.

The question on SR Technics was out of order but I will refer to it anyway. I met with the unions. I indicated that IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland who have brought in expertise in aviation are in a position to facilitate any company.

I have spoken to the CEO of the company just before I came into the House. I indicated to him that there are a number of people who have expressed an interest in the company. He is aware of that and he has stated, although timing is of the essence, that he and the company would have no difficulty in working with the State agencies to facilitate any opportunity to sustain employment in the north Dublin area.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Tánaiste stated she would look at the expansion of the CE schemes. When will we have a review?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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No, I referred to the framework.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Perhaps the Tánaiste will let us know when that will happen. Is she ruling out getting involved in providing work through these schemes? Is that out of the question? I just want to know so that I will stop asking. Is it "yes" or "no"? If the Tánaiste decides at the Ard-Fheis to allow people to go back to work while keeping their dole payment, will any such scheme also be open to local authorities that are currently letting staff go? Will they be able to re-employ staff topping up their dole payment?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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We are not saying we are expanding community employment schemes, we are looking at the framework set down in such schemes. I am also saying that we only have specific funding and we must re-orientate it, as I am doing in my budget through FÁS, while other colleagues are doing likewise.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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When will the Tánaiste make a decision?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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All of these initiatives are being considered because we have such a huge issue before us where we must support those in work as well as getting people back to work and training. There are children in school taking the leaving certificate and we must ensure there is a framework in place for them. It is an all-encompassing method by which we are reacting to the needs of the people.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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When will the Tánaiste make a decision?

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Any and all ideas are being taken into consideration. New measures have been introduced, as I have outlined, and further measures are being worked on. There will be a balance between enterprise measures and activation measures to allow us to deal with the issue.