Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) Dublin 12 has not been allowed rejoin the jobs initiative, as others have done; and if she will instruct FÁS to reinstate her to the position she held prior to June 2012. [25731/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned was originally a participant on the job initiative, JI, scheme, which was then operated by FÁS. Her engagement on this scheme ceased in 2004. Recruitment of new participants or re-engagement of former participants to the JI scheme has been closed since November 2002 and, accordingly, it is not possible to reinstate her as a JI participant. In 2004 she was working in the context of services provided by FÁS. From 2004 she was directly employed by the organisations which acted as the sponsor to the JI scheme. Her role was to provide administrative support. This support was normally provided by JI supervisors, but where there was a need for additional administration sponsors could be allowed to pay for this function by employing a person directly or contracting the administration to an external source. The funding for the post of the person concerned came from the JI scheme administration and materials grant. This was reviewed in February 2012 and the Department advised the sponsors that the grant aid for the scheme's administration and training grant would continue until the completion of the then contract on 1 June 2012 and that it would cease thereafter.

All contracts for schemes are appraised on an annual basis and any contract and the terms contained therein only have a maximum duration of one year, which is subject to the availability of appropriate funding. Furthermore, in 2012, following a review of all employment projects, projects saw a reduction in the level of grant aid allocated in 2012 as funding was allocated according to the needs of the participants and the project circumstances. The need for funding any additional administration duties has diminished for the most part, due to the decrease in participants on individual JI schemes.

Following the review, the current scheme contract commencing on 1 June 2012 was given approval for 49 workers, supported by funding for two full-time supervisors. These ratios are in keeping with the recommended ratio of supervisors to workers, which also includes the provision of administration.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Therefore, it is not possible to provide funding for additional administrative support which was the role carried out by the person concerned. Any matters relating to contracts of employment for those employed by organisations grant aided by the Department, should be addressed to the registered employer.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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This is a peculiar case because the person in question has, in effect, been done out of a position by FÁS because there was an amalgamation of the workers from the KWCD partnership, which collapsed overnight, and the Dublin 12 Congress Centre took on some of the workers. The woman in question facilitated FÁS by allowing her to be categorised as additional administrative support rather than the mainstream position she was initially employed to do. She has confirmation in writing from one of the then directors of FÁS that she would have her terms and conditions guaranteed. She has asked via the centre that the Department would engage with the Labour Court on the matter but it has refused. In addition, she asked if she could be re-engaged on the JI scheme. The information she has is that people were re-engaged after the change to which the Minister referred. Could the Minister assure me that nobody who was previously on JI has been re-engaged on JI since 2002?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I will inquire of the officials. As the Deputy appreciates, the case has a long history, going back to 2001 and 2004 when the Department of Social Protection was not involved in the area. As the Deputy said, the person concerned was originally a participant on a JI scheme. The scheme ceased in 2004 and the company closed. As the Deputy indicated, responsibility for the JI scheme transferred to another company. It also transferred the employment arrangement of the person concerned. Funding for the post of the person concerned came from the JI scheme administration and materials grant and I presume the problem arose because the scheme closed and the grant is diminishing. An agreement was reached on 49 people and two supervisors, which is the appropriate relationship. I will ask the officials in the Department about the issue. As the Deputy is aware, the matter came to the Department in the context of the changes in FÁS.

While I do not have a direct answer to the Deputy's question, I will request that information of the departmental officials.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that and ask that the case in general be considered, given it is a complicated case because it involves the partnership collapse and everything around that. However, commitments were given to all workers who were transferred from the partnership to the Dublin 12 Congress Centre that their conditions of employment and the source of their funding would be protected and that this would be re-examined.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I certainly will look further into the matter to ascertain whether there is any further information that may be of assistance to the Deputy and will raise it with the officials.