Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

It is very important to ensure that volunteerism, which has been the bedrock of rural communities in particular, is not replaced. It was beginning to be replaced because CE programmes were simply providing for services that people formerly provided themselves. The new approach will be to help communities who want to help themselves. Where there is a good culture of volunteerism, we will give new and extra schemes to people who are prepared to do the work themselves but require some support from community employment and other schemes.

The points made by Senator Ross are a little unfair to FÁS. I acknowledge that FÁS receives €859 million each year. He suggested that FÁS is responsible for reducing the numbers of long-term unemployed and that this work is not done. That is a small part of the work of FÁS. The organisation has been undergoing change and it has responded well to the changes in society regarding employment. Aside from the specific challenge of long-term unemployment and providing opportunities for training and work experience, FÁS is involved in upskilling, retraining and lifelong learning. Change in the workplace means there must be adaptability to the global economic conditions and this is the big challenge for the Irish workplace. FÁS has responded in a positive and proactive way to those challenges. There have been very hurtful job losses in particular locations where indigenous industry has closed up and moved to lower wage economies. FÁS has established successful training and re-employment initiatives in those locations.