Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are all well aware of the importance of community employment or CE schemes, particularly in rural areas and villages. The schemes provide significant employment support to day-care centres and crèches, for maintaining graveyards, basic grass-cutting and upkeep of local villages, working with Tidy Towns committees, and maintaining sports grounds, particularly GAA and soccer facilities. They provide an important value-for-money service to communities. It is work that the local authority would not be in a position to do if these schemes did not exist. Additionally, the schemes provide a good outlet, in offering training and activation, and in many cases a social outlet for people who work on the schemes.

Many of the people who work on community employment schemes are reaching the end of their working careers. They have worked hard in construction and other areas. They are not able for the physical work associated with the construction sector but they do very good work for our communities. The criteria that are applied are making it impossible for the schemes to retain these people. At a certain age or after six years, no matter what stage they are at, people are put back on the live register, saving only €20 per week. We have to look at that. For example, a scheme I am very familiar with in County Clare takes in Ballyea, Kilmaley, Lissycasey, Clarecastle, Kilnamona and the Banner GAA. There were 45 people working on the scheme and they did a huge amount in the area. Bit by bit, people have drifted off the scheme and it cannot get new participants. It is not as if those who remained on the scheme were somehow displacing others. The scheme had 45 places and it can now only fill 18 of them. The people who had to leave the scheme and are still under 66 are now at home and the State saves €20 a head per week. We need a debate on that. We need to look at the value to the communities but also to the people affected. Sitting on the dole has a demoralising effect on people between the ages of 58 and 60. They have never been on the dole in their working lives.They are ready and willing to participate in these schemes but the criteria are keeping them out. Everybody is losing as a result. I hope we can have a debate and try to advance this issues.