David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he has placed an upper limit on the number of community employment scheme places for persons over 55 years nationally; if so, the limit in relation to same; if there is flexibility on participants of CE schemes, who are reaching retirement age but who have exhausted their time allowed on community employment schemes, to have an extension until they reach retirement age rather than having to sign on for job seekers allowance, or job seekers benefit or having to try to find employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12160/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons (including those with a disability) with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a fixed term basis. CE helps unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce 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.

As part of the restructuring of CE approved in 1999, future participation in CE by an individual was capped at 3 years effective from April, 2000. This change was introduced to discourage repeated participation in CE and to encourage unemployed persons to avail of training/education options where possible, which are shown to have more successful progression outcomes for individuals. The three-year cap was amended in August 2001 to allow particularly disadvantaged persons to remain on the programme for a further period. In general, approximately 20% of participants including persons less than 55 years of age may benefit from an additional year on the programme under the flexibility guidelines introduced in August 2001. In November 2004, it was decided that the 3-year cap would be extended for CE participants aged over 55. This category of participants is now eligible to participate on CE for a maximum of 6 years.

In July 2006 my Department published its Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act, 2005. One of the key highlights of this Plan is to increase participation rates of people with disabilities on CE over the period of the Plan and to raise the CE participation limits for people with disabilities, in order to provide additional training to assist progression to employment:

For people with disabilities under 55 years of age, the participation limit has been raised by one year from 3 to 4 years

For people with disabilities over 55 years of age, the participation limit has also been raised by one year from 6 to 7 years.

I am informed by FÁS that the participation limits to which I have referred will continue to be operated flexibly at local level.