Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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54. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding reforming the community employment scheme qualification criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2579/17]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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This question is about eligibility for community employment, CE, schemes. Something that has been brought to my attention in my constituency is that the eligibility criteria are far too restrictive for those who want to participate on such schemes. I have raised this matter with the Minister previously. He has been working on it, so I am seeking an update on the progress that has been made on broadening the criteria to allow more people to participate. This is a product of the good news that more people are returning to full-time employment. It is becoming more challenging to get people into schemes. CE schemes have a huge societal impact. They also have a aery positive impact on the labour activation side. We would be very grateful if the Minister could update us on the position.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, community employment, CE, aims to help long-term unemployed people to re-enter the workforce by breaking their cycle of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine. To this end, CE also provides training and development to participants. I am very conscious of the valuable role that CE schemes play in the provision of services to individuals and communities across the county. The current eligibility criteria for the programme have been expanded and changed over the years and are designed to ensure the maximum availability and utilisation of places. The basic eligibility requirement is that a person is currently in receipt of a CE-qualifying payment from my Department for the requisite period. Recent changes to the eligibility criteria for CE include the reduction in the entry age for participants working directly with service users in the child care and social health care sectors to 21 years of age. The standard minimum entry age for CE is 25. The eligibility criteria for participants aged 62 and over have been eased in terms of the maximum duration they can remain on the programme.

With the ongoing welcome reductions in the number of people unemployed, the Deputy will understand that issues such as the appropriate level of expenditure, the number of places and the criteria for participation on employment schemes all need to be considered and reviewed given the changes in the economy. I hope to bring a memorandum to Government on these matters in the coming weeks. If changes are agreed, consultations with stakeholders will be facilitated before their introduction.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister and welcome his work on this. I appreciate that he is trying to address the matter. I suggest that further to the changes that have already been made, which are welcome, we look at the 2,000 rule and change it to allow more people back in, such as those who have previously benefited from the CE scheme. It should not be held against them. If that could be changed, it would be a very progressive move.

Universal eligibility at 21 would be another progressive measure. It would help participants on the CE schemes and also the communities that benefit from the work of those participants.

The issue of having to be unemployed for 12 months is regrettable and six months or perhaps even three months is an appropriate amount of time for someone to gain eligibility. The issue of spousal swaps could also be looked at and there could be additional financial rewards for individuals for whom there is not enough financial incentive at present, for example, lone parents.

All of these issues could be looked at, given it would benefit everybody involved - the State, the communities which are served by the community employment schemes and, of course, the individuals who are participating. I have yet to meet a person who has participated in a scheme who has not benefitted from it. The benefits of community employment are very understated. I appreciate the work of the Minister to date. It would be very helpful if we could address those measures.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Griffin for raising this question at what is a very timely moment. What we have seen in recent years is a big expansion in the number of schemes. In addition to the extra CE schemes, Tús was added, Gateway was added on to that, JobBridge was added on to that and we now have JobPath as well. At the same time, we have seen a massive reduction in unemployment, which means many schemes, programmes and services are having difficulty filling vacancies, largely because of the mismatch that now exists between the number of placements and the number of people who are unemployed.

My officials are looking at some of the rules to see which ones can be relaxed. I hope to be able to bring proposals in that regard to the Cabinet sub-committee in the next couple of weeks for approval by Cabinet. I believe we need to be dynamic and to react and respond to changing economic conditions, so the rules should change depending on the economic conditions we face.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I am glad to hear the Minister is reviewing this. Due to the welcome drop in unemployment, which was outlined earlier, the current eligibility criteria for participating in the schemes are overly restrictive and, indeed, threaten the future of many of those schemes across rural communities. Many schemes are wobbling all over the place. At one time, notices looking for people would go up and would be taken down within a week, but they are now up for over three or four months. Deputy Griffin is right that those who participate in a scheme, for the most part gain invaluable experience that allows many to transfer on to gainful employment. The schemes are also very important as a rehabilitative measure for many in the community.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Penrose is correct. I am particularly looking out for schemes that provide important services locally, for example, cutting the grass in clubs and meals on wheels and in other areas where I do not want to see service provision damaged. I encourage supervisors to consider people who are harder to reach or who find it hard to take part in these schemes. Very good and qualified people were often available during the recession but they are no longer available as they have gone back to work. It now falls on CE scheme supervisors and others to make a greater effort to encourage people who are very long-term unemployed, those with mental health issues and those with disabilities in order to try to get them on the schemes. I know they are harder to work with but they are the ones who need the help the most.

It was mentioned that the additional payment is very small, which I acknowledge. In addition, the cost of travelling to and from the scheme, particularly in rural areas, can be very significant. I am not in a position to increase that this year but it is something I will certainly consider for the next budget.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister and Deputy Penrose for their comments. Every Deputy will be aware of the positives and the huge benefits in this regard. I appreciate the Minister's acknowledgement of the changes that have taken place in the economy. Thankfully, it has changed for the good but the schemes need to adapt and change as well. It would be an awful shame if the very positive work that has been done in recent years in building up schemes throughout the country that have given service and help to so many people was to falter due to a lack of supply of personnel. It is a challenge to strike a balance between having enough people to participate in the schemes and having an effective labour activation measure in place through the schemes. I welcome the Minister's work to date and, hopefully, we will see progress.