John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

Fair enough. The community employment scheme has been instrumental in enabling them to gain employment and become integrated into the workforce. It is important that this continues.

I was extremely surprised by what Senator Leyden said about living in the real world. I live in the real world in south County Kilkenny and have received several representations from people who are concerned about reductions in the community employment scheme. I spoke to one woman who finished school at 16 years of age and began work on a community employment scheme when she was 19. She had not completed her leaving certificate and had no qualifications from secondary school. However, she was interested in computers and proceeded to take up a place on a community employment scheme as a teacher's aid in a school in Dublin. When she had completed the scheme, she went on to do her leaving certificate and then attended teacher training college. She has now returned to the school in which she was a teacher's aid a few years ago as a junior infants' teacher. That speaks volumes about the role the community employment scheme has played.

I support the motion in the name of Senator Coghlan. I urge the Minister of State not to slash the numbers involved in community employment schemes.