Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will amend the rules that govern participation in community employment schemes to facilitate those who are in excess of the 30 day period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10628/09]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North 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 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.

The criteria for participating on the Community Employment programme are based on age and length of time in receipt of various social welfare payments. CE is not designed to cater for short-term unemployed persons as they are not as far removed from the open labour market as the main client group for the programme. To facilitate some short-term employment opportunities, breaks off the Live Register of up to 30 days are permissible with the 12-month eligibility period, while still maintaining eligibility for CE.

The 30-day Live Register break ensures that the CE programme responds to its primary target group of long term unemployed clients. Many unemployed people engage in work of a temporary nature. If the programme were open to this cohort, people may leave their employment, albeit of a temporary nature, in order to participate in Community Employment. This would be contrary to the objective of the programme and result in a Labour Market intervention competing with the open labour market. In circumstances where breaks of the Live Register exceed 30 days, other interventions may be more appropriate than CE.

CE remains as an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment. The programme is managed within this context, with consideration to the availability of resources and the needs of participants and the community. FÁS provides a range programmes aimed specifically at the short-term unemployed, details of which are available from any FÁS Employment Services office, Local Employment Service offices or from the FÁS website www.fas.ie.

In conclusion I should say that the operation of the Scheme is being kept under constant review in the context of the current difficult unemployment situation.