Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

This is an important scheme and the Minister of State provided a good exposition of his approach and that of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party to it. He indicated that he fully understood the importance of the scheme, the problems with it and the reforms that needed to be made. Some years ago when unemployment figures were quite high, the scheme performed an important role in respect of young people who, in many instances, were not able to obtain full-time or even part-time jobs. One is glad to state almost all of those who were in that position eight to 12 years ago are in full-time employment which is probably a tribute to the scheme.

There is no doubt that the scheme has been extremely valuable to many communities. I am a trustee of an antiquarian library in Cashel which, effectively, has been kept in operation by FÁS workers. There are myriad schemes of great value in County Tipperary which are managed by FÁS. These range from the upkeep of cemeteries and clubs, providing assistance with a recently opened arts and heritage centre, etc. Members could cite many examples of such projects. Some of the positions on community employment schemes can be converted into full-time jobs – as appears to be the case in the education sector – which is all to the good. This is not just valuable from the point of view of the people concerned, it is also valuable for communities.

I do not know how many buildings I have visited, some of a very high architectural quality with ceilings almost as good as that in this Chamber, which have been restored by highly skilled FÁS workers who have made a tremendous contribution to the country. A huge vacuum would be created if they were let go and not replaced.

One of the most memorable moments in the election campaign came when I visited the old and rubble-strewn workhouse in Tipperary which, like all Victorian buildings, is an extremely solid structure and is being refurbished for use as social housing. Most of those employed are in their fifties and highly skilled building workers. I got up on some of the rubble and addressed 15 of them who were very concerned about their future. Older people do not have the same opportunities in the modern economy as the rest of us. They are good at what they do but they might not necessarily have the type of education required for modern, high-tech work. Special provision needs to be made for people of that age group because they want to continue to be useful to society. They are useful to society and a special place ought to be provided in the reforms for people in that category. In that way, we can all fulfil our mission in both a socially caring and economically useful manner.