Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 80: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the resources allocated for employment creation schemes in 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12318/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Industrial Development agencies under the aegis of my Department and the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) are responsible for industrial development. In this regard, IDA Ireland is the agency charged with the attraction of foreign direct investment to this country. The agency provides a range of financial incentives to support capital, employment, training innovation and research and development activity as well as advice, facilitation and property services to prospective and existing clients, of both IDA and Enterprise Ireland. The purpose is to attract and grow investments in high-value manufacturing and traded services investments. The agency funds an international marketing campaign to promote Ireland as a location of choice and it also has a mandate to achieve balanced regional development. The 2009 budget allocation for the agency is €137.049million.

Shannon Development is the regional economic Development agency for the mid-West region. It has responsibility for foreign direct investment in the Shannon Free Zone, Co Clare, and, in this context, provides the same range of incentives and other supports as is provided by IDA Ireland in the rest of the Country. Shannon Development also provides tailored property solutions for both indigenous and overseas industry in the region generally. The agency expects to incur expenditure of €23.5 million in 2009, most of which will be sourced from its own resource income.

Enterprise Ireland is the lead Government agency responsible for the development of Irish enterprise. Its mission is to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve strong positions in world markets. Enterprise Ireland delivers a wide range of supports to Irish companies, targeted at the specific requirements of clients throughout all regions to ensure that they develop to their full potential in terms of employment, innovation and exports, which in turn, stimulates job creation. The budgetary allocation to Enterprise Ireland for 2009 is €291m.

The CEBs assist micro-enterprises throughout the country by both direct grant aid to businesses and project promoters and also through the provision of a range of other important business supports such as mentoring, business training and business advice designed to help stimulate indigenous enterprise creation and to boost employment creation. The budget allocation for the 35 CEBs is €20m for this year.

In addition, my Department and the Training and Employment agency FÁS are working together to respond quickly and effectively to the rising numbers of unemployed people. Measures have been put in place to provide increased capacity for the rise in referrals from the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the increased number of unemployed seeking job search assistance. The implementation of these measures has increased the monthly capacity of job search services from 6,500 to 12,250 persons per month.

To assist individuals through the provision of education and training opportunities, I announced 51,000 new training places under the FÁS Training Initiatives Strategy. These places are in addition to the 27,000 previously planned for 2009 under the Bridging Foundation Training, Specific Skills Training and Traineeships Programmes. These programmes will provide short training courses for those who are recently unemployed. The Training Initiative Strategy enhances the traditional mix of course offerings and will be delivered through three core-training initiatives, Short Courses, Night Courses and Online Courses. The courses are for highly employable persons who wish to add to their existing skills level and improve their prospects of re-entering the labour market. The night courses offer further flexibility and the online courses provide an excellent option for those who need a fast flexible intervention and who prefer a self centred learning environment.

The Government remains intent on achieving greater capacity within existing resources to meet the ongoing challenges in the labour market. In this context, we will continue to examine further ways to make FÁS training and education services available to a greater number of unemployed persons to ensure timely and comprehensive access for all who require assistance.

Furthermore, there is the Community Employment (CE) Programme which is an active labour market intervention 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 purpose of CE is to help unemployed people to re-enter 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. I am confident that all these interventions will enhance employment creation at this difficult time.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department has given consideration to the introduction of social economy or job initiative schemes to help deal with the unemployment situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13344/09]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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On 1 January 2006 responsibility for the Social Economy Programme transferred to the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs and it has been re-named as the Community Services Programme. FÁS as an agency of my Department operates Job Initiative (JI). The Job Initiative Programme (JI) was launched in July 1996 and provides full time employment for people who are 35 years of age or over, unemployed for 5 years or more, and in receipt of Social Welfare payments over that period. The main purpose of the programme is to assist long-term unemployed people to prepare for work opportunities by providing participants with work experience, training and development opportunities. The programme is sponsored by voluntary organisations and public bodies involved in not-for-profit activities.

Following changes introduced on 10 November 2004 by Minister Micheál Martin there have been no compulsory lay-offs on the Job Initiative Schemes. Contracts for existing participants are renewed and CE participants to support the service being provided replace those who leave voluntarily. This Government will continue to support the positive role of FÁS Employment Schemes in meeting the needs of long-term unemployed persons while at the same time providing essential services to communities. I am keeping the operation of the Scheme under constant review in the context of the current difficult unemployment situation.