Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 136: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the position regarding community employment schemes; the length of time a person can remain on them; if she has instructed or authorised FÁS to reduce this period in order to increase the number going through retraining; if she will clarify the position regarding the case of persons over 60 years who participate in CE schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2349/10]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 137: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her policy with regard to schemes involving retraining of married people who are now losing benefits and being deprived of training facilities because they are married and have got 12 months' unemployment benefit; if she will adjust the rules in view of the fact that persons are now losing jobseeker's benefit after 12 months; how a married person with a working spouse can get onto a community employment scheme; if he or she must be unemployed for 12 months and in receipt of a payment; if he or she loses his or her payment after 12 months; if she will revise such policies in view of their impact on married persons. [2356/10]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together.

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 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.

The criteria for participating on the Community Employment programme are based on age and length of time in receipt of various social welfare payments. Eligible persons under 55 years of age may be eligible for a maximum of 3 years overall participation on Community Employment (CE). Eligible persons of 55 or over may be eligible to a maximum of 6 years overall participation on CE. Persons in receipt of any of the 4 disability-linked Social Welfare payments may be eligible for 1 additional year's participation. Only time spent on CE since the 3rd April 2000 counts towards these participation limits.

Participation on Community Employment has an upper age limit of 65 years of age, i.e. a CE participant/Supervisor can remain on CE until the day before their 66th birthday, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. FÁS cannot make funding available to a Sponsor for any participant or Supervisor aged 66 years or over. To do so would mean that the state would effectively be double-funding both the CE place and the participant's state pension simultaneously.

Training allowances on full-time day courses are payable to those who are in receipt of Department of Social and Family Affairs payments including Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit, One Parent Family Allowance, Disability Benefit and Invalidity Pension. If a person qualifies under the criteria but does not wish to take up the option themselves, there are certain conditions under which they can do a spousal swap.

The Government will continue to support into the future the positive role of CE in meeting the needs of long-term unemployed persons while at the same time providing essential services to communities. In this regard, we are keeping the operation of the Scheme under constant review.