Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 390: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Centre for Independent Living in Mayo provides a personal assistant service to 40 leaders, of whom 18 are employed on community employment schemes; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that these schemes end after a three year period, which causes serious difficulties for the leader and person in question; if he will extend the remit to carry out employment on such schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2778/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The main purpose of the community employment, CE, programme is to provide work experience and training for the long-term unemployed and disadvantaged groups, including those with a disability, and thereby enable participants to advance successfully to employment in the open labour market by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a work routine and to assist them to enhance-develop both their technical and personal skills.

In addition CE assists in the provision of a wide range of social and community services at local level which augment and support statutory service provision in these areas. The added value of this involvement with state supported dedicated service provision is the positive training and learning environment provided to the CE participant. Many CE participants through this participation go on to become qualified professional workers in selected employments such as child care and personal care assistants.

Within this context, the ring fencing and prioritisation of places, including those in health related services, has been in place for the past five years. As a result of this ring-fencing of places, CE participation levels in the Centre for Independent Living are, and will continue to be, maintained at a constant and supportive level.

It should also be noted that under changes announced by me on 10 November 2004 the three year cap for participants on community employment was raised to six years for those over 55 years of age in order to ensure the maintenance of essential community services particularly in rural areas, where it had been found that difficulties existed in finding replacement participants.

The aim of CE still remains primarily an active labour market programme with the emphasis on the progression and the development of individual participants. This is optimised when CE schemes are aligned with services provided by the responsible statutory provider which in the case of persons with a disability is the Department of Health and Children.