Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this topic to be raised. I had hoped the new Minister for Social Protection would be present to hear this, but I am sure the Minister of State will pass on to him the details of this issue, which is important.

There is a particular problem with community employment, CE, in that the eligibility criteria allowing people to participate in these schemes are far too restrictive. That could easily be addressed, and it is an issue the new Minister must prioritise because it is tangible and would have a positive impact on the lives of people throughout the country. I refer to people who currently cannot get on CE schemes, those who must move off them even though there is a huge benefit for them in terms of preparing for employment, and those who may not have progression potential or opportunity depending on the circumstances. We must also take into account the very positive impact that results from CE. That is often overlooked by officials in the Department.

I do not believe the societal impact and the positive spin-off in communities are recognised fully by officials when it comes to CE. In areas in Kerry, for example, where often there are no other employment options, CE workers are doing wonderful work in the community, including working in health care, assisting with child care, working with young people and disadvantaged people, working on the Tidy Towns and so on. People are doing wonderful work with sporting communities and voluntary organisations that otherwise would not be done.

Recently, the five Kerry Deputies met representatives of Kerry CE schemes in Killorglin. It is not often that five Deputies would show up to a meeting on a Friday night, but it highlights the importance of this issue and how much we value the work of CE in the community. Proposals were put to the Deputies to pursue with the Department, and none of the requests were outlandish. They were reasonable and doable. I would be very grateful if the Minister of State were to bring back the proposals I will now outline. The first one is to change the starting point of 2000 to a new starting point of 2015. That would make far more people eligible for a CE scheme, because anyone who has been on a CE scheme in the intervening period has a reduced opportunity to participate in a scheme in the future. That is easily done, and I ask the Minister of State to consider that.

Also, with regard to referrals to CE schemes, there is a change in the way progression rates are being measured, and this is not responsive to the needs of communities throughout the country. The Minister must examine that and change the way the success or otherwise of a scheme is measured. The current system in place is too black and white and not responsive to the needs of the participants or the groups those people are working with.

Reducing the minimum qualifying age to 21 is something that does not require much explanation, but it would be a sensible measure. With regard to changing the eligibility requirement from 12 months' unemployment to six months, some people have suggested reducing it to three months or less. Why should people have to wait 12 months twiddling their thumbs before they can get on a CE scheme? That type of red tape is making life very difficult for certain individuals. It could be examined with a view to allowing spousal swops, in that one partner, depending on the circumstances, could participate in a CE scheme in lieu of the other. We should provide additional financial rewards for lone parents, because there are not enough incentives to participate in CE schemes.

The final two proposals are to change the minimum time on CE schemes to two years in real terms, and to allow people over the age of 62 to participate in schemes. Those people have very little employment opportunity, yet they are not allowed to participate in CE schemes. Tweaking is all that is required. We are not asking for the world, but the needs to be a response from the Department.

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Brendan Griffin for raising this important issue on easing eligibility for qualification on the community employment scheme. It is important that we have these debates.

Regarding the broader issue, the Department of Social Protection will spend more than €1 billion in 2016 on work, training and education places in support of jobseekers. Expenditure, and the number of schemes and participants, has increased significantly in recent years in a response to the high levels of unemployment, which peaked at 15%. The number of places available on work programmes, including CE schemes, has grown from 25,000 in 2010 to just over 39,000 in 2016. That is a 56% increase. Schemes such as CE play a significant role in helping jobseekers maintain important work skills. Erosion of confidence and work skills, including soft skills related to teamwork, communication, planning and so on, is a significant issue over long periods of unemployment. However, there has been a significant and welcome reduction in unemployment levels.

CE is an employment programme with the aim of helping the long-term unemployed to re-enter the workforce by breaking their cycle of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine. CE also provides training and development to participants. The current eligibility criteria for the programme have been expanded over the years. The criteria have been set to specifically target certain groups for the programme. The basic eligibility requirement is that a person must be currently in receipt of a CE-qualifying payment such as jobseeker's allowance from the Department of Social Protection for a minimum period of 12 months. Recent changes to the eligibility criteria for CE include a reduction in the entry age for CE participants working directly with service users in the child care and social and health care sectors to 21 years of age. The standard minimum entry age for CE is 25 years of age. The eligibility criteria for participants aged 62 and over have been eased in terms of the maximum duration they can remain on the programme, subject to certain conditions. Customers who are not eligible for the CE programme may be eligible for other interventions from the Department of Social Protection. The eligibility criteria for CE are kept under review to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and that there is maximum utilisation of CE places.

I will bring Deputy Griffin's proposals to the Minister. I accept that we must be responsive to the needs of the community. I also agree with the strong points he made regarding lone parents.