Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 49: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the grounds on which the basic pay rate for community employment participants has been reduced by €12.70 per week; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this represents a reduction of 5.7% compared with the 4% general reduction in social welfare payments; her views on whether it is equitable that CE participants should be subjected to a higher reduction in rates than social welfare claimants; if she has instructed FÁS to make such reductions; the steps she will take to restore the relativity between social welfare claimants and CE participants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8475/10]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Social Welfare linked allowances paid to participants on Community Employment (CE) programmes were reduced in Budget 2010 in line with the Budget reductions to Social Welfare recipients. The FÁS additional allowance paid to CE participants has been reduced from €24.40 and €48.80 per week to €20 and €40 per week respectively. These adjustments, along with a reduction in funding in respect of training and materials for those on CE programmes from €1,500 to €750 per head per annum, are necessary to fund increased activation measures in 2010 including an additional 500 CE places to bring the total number of places to 23,300.

This Government will continue to support the positive role of CE in meeting the needs of long-term unemployed persons while at the same time providing essential services to communities.