Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister, Deputy Fahey, for remaining so long in the House tonight. The work being done in the community by people on FÁS and community employment schemes is immeasurable. The Minister was given many examples of that work but I do not intend to go over that area again. I live in the Dublin west area, a large part of which is also a RAPID area, and people participating in the community employment schemes are extremely concerned that they will lose their jobs. Those in the community are also concerned because if these individuals lose their jobs, services to the community will be lost. A special case has to be made for the disadvantaged areas, and particularly the RAPID areas. I ask the Minister to examine the schemes in the Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart area to ensure they are not lost because that would be devastating for our community.

I am happy that the Minister intends to prioritise child care and personal assistants places but I spoke to a person in the Blanchardstown area partnership today who expressed concern that all the places in the five crèches in the Mulhuddart area are not guaranteed. There are ten to 15 places in each of those five crèches and it is vital that they are not affected because we are trying to encourage people back to work by providing child care places for them. If we lose any of those places, parents will be unable to go out to work.

The Minister said that the personal assistants places will not be affected but the Centre for Independent Living in Blanchardstown, which has branches in other areas also, has been told that it is being mainstreamed, which is welcome, but it has not got the go ahead from the health board. That is a cause of great concern both for the workers and, more importantly, the people they are assisting. I ask the Minister to examine that case.

Some of the community employment schemes are being transferred to the social economy programme, and FÁS has told us that it is freezing all programmes for the coming year. I ask the Minister to respond to that. Is it true that FÁS is freezing all programmes in the social economy programme for next year because, if that happens, further places will be lost?