Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the Senator's concerns and note his comments on the position of the Irish Wheelchair Association. The association's headquarters are located in Clontarf, in my constituency of Dublin North-Central. It does a huge a amount of work. I appreciate its concerns in this matter.

The primary purpose of community employment as an active labour market programme is to reintegrate long-term unemployed persons into open labour market secure jobs. Community employment provides unemployed people with temporary opportunities, whereby they can develop their skills and, I hope, obtain work having secured a record of work experience.

In accordance with the Government's decision in 1999 to restructure community employment, participation levels are gradually being reduced, reflecting the significant reduction in the numbers of long-term unemployed and the shift in emphasis away from work experience programmes to training, from which there is a greater level of progression to employment. As part of this process, a decision was taken to gradually reduce the numbers employed on community employment from an average of 37,500 in 1999 to 28,000 by 2003. Mainstreaming of school services, with general reductions in participation levels due to lower levels of unemployment and budgetary requirements, have further reduced the numbers employed on the programme.

The average participation rate on the community employment programme for 2003 is expected to be approximately 22,500. Funding, amounting to €274 million, has been provided for this purpose. At the end of 2002 there were 24,991 participants in the programmes. This number will reduce to a projected participation rate of 20,000 by the end of 2003.

In line with a commitment in the PPF and following consultation with relevant Departments and the social partners, certain school services provided by participants on community employment programmes have been mainstreamed. This provided for additional funding, representing 4,514 on community employment places in schools, to transfer to the Department of Education and Science on a phased basis by 2003. The availability of this funding has enabled the Department to put in place an equitable system of funding for auxiliary services throughout the free education school system.