Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 78: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views, in respect of the present unemployment situation, on abolishing an age rule to a scheme (details supplied). [12691/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, 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. The programme helps unemployed people to progress to the open labour market by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine and assists them in enhancing/developing both their technical and personal skills.

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. However, it should be remembered that, in so far as participants remain on CE, they are precluding someone else from benefiting from the programme. FÁS makes every effort to ensure that differing levels of demand between neighbouring schemes are equalised. FÁS also operates the programme flexibly as far as possible to ensure the continuation of community projects.

Persons under 55 years of age who fulfil the criteria for CE may be eligible for a maximum of 3 years participation on the Scheme.

It is not my intention to change the rule for those under 55 years, however, the operation of the Scheme is being kept under constant review in the context of the current difficult unemployment situation.