Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if programmes have been developed to assist persons who have previously been in prison to access employment opportunities; the number of participants; and the success rate in progressive and placement in employment. [44413/09]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Community Employment Programme has provision for persons who have previously been in prison. The eligibility criteria for these clients is as follows: · Ex-offenders aged 18 years or over and referred by the Probation Service. · Ex-offenders aged 18 and over, not referred by the Probation Service and in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseekers Benefit for a period of one year or more. Time spent as a prisoner is regarded as reckonable when considering duration unemployed.

It is not possible to provide the total number of "ex-offender" participants as those who have eligibility gained under the second option above will not be flagged as ex-offenders but rather as those in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance/Benefit.