Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 167: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if all community employment participants who were made redundant as a result of the three year cap have been reinstated to the community employment scheme; if not, when this will be done; the reason it has not been completed to date; if he will proof the further capping and the existing regulations of the CE scheme to ensure that the cap is not breaching equality legislation through institutional ageism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25412/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Community Employment is an active market labour programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in training and work experience within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis. In this way Community Employment helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine and through availing of training to assist them to develop both their technical and personal skills.

In April 2000 the total amount of time that a person could participate on CE in April 2000 was limited to 3 years. This measure was introduced to facilitate the movement of participants through CE, allowing new participants who may not otherwise have such an opportunity, to avail of the programme. FÁS has some flexibility to re-engage up to 20% of departing participants for a further year, based on certain criteria being met and FÁS has fully utilised this flexibility in recent months.

In November 2004 the participation limit was extended to up to 6 years for people of 55 years and over. This was in recognition of the fact that older participants may find it more difficult to progress into employment.

As regards the participation limit and equality legislation, Section 22 of the Equality Act 2004 states that nothing in Parts 1 or 2 of that Act shall render unlawful measures to ensure full equality in practice between employees including measures to safeguard or promote their integration into the working environment.