Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

That means there will be an additional 2,500 community employment places this year, which will bring the total to 32,500. That is a very considerable number of people given that four years ago, when we had the highest level of unemployment, the number was only 39,000.

In reference to the political points made by Senators, a fight was put up by members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, including me, to prevent reductions in community employment schemes and to secure increases. That battle was won. In the budget, the Minister for Finance provided for the 2,500 places and did not cut community employment funding despite cuts in quite a number of areas. I am quite surprised Fine Gael cannot even get its facts right. I reject any suggestion that there are cuts in community employment this year. Rather, there will be increases in the numbers employed along the lines I have described.

However, there have been areas of community employment in which there is a need to change policy. That policy change is now being implemented. As I have said, we will provide for people over 55 years and those with disabilities. In addition to the provision being made under community employment for people with disabilities, we are allocating considerable amounts of money to a range of programmes and organisations through FÁS and some non-governmental organisations to provide increased supports to help people with disabilities to go back to employment.