Written answers

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Departmental Programmes

7:00 pm

Photo of Joanna TuffyJoanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the way the 15,000 activation places announced in budget 2011 will operate; if the work placement programmes in the public sector will be used as unpaid replacements for positions left vacant as a result of redundancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3995/11]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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In Budget 2011 the Government announced that they would be providing an additional 15,000 activation places, delivered through three programmes, to broaden supports that are available to the unemployed.

The first of these is the skills development and internship programme which aims to provide unemployed people who are at least 3 months unemployed with a 12 month internship in a host organisation, while simultaneously providing them access to an education or training programme. The programme aims to increase participants' employability by facilitating the improvement of their skills, while also providing them with valuable work experience with an employer. The Government is providing support for up to 5,000 places to be created under this programme, but the number of opportunities will be entirely dependent on employers applying to participate.

The Department of Education and Skills have established a working group, comprising of representatives from FÁS, the Higher Education Authority, the Irish Vocational Education Association and my Department, to finalise the design of the programme which is intended to be operational in the coming weeks.

The work placement programme is also providing additional activation places for the unemployed. Under this programme participants can avail of a nine month work experience placement in an organisation in the public, private or community and voluntary sector. In Budget 2011, the Government announced that they were expanding the work placement programme so that an additional 5,000 places would be provided in the public sector, with a further 500 additional places for graduates in the private sector. This means that the work placement programme has been expanded in total from 2,000 to 7,500 places.

The rules concerning the operation of the work placement programme prohibit participating organisations displacing existing employees or using placements to fill existing vacancies. These rules apply to all sectors including the public sector. Last year the Department of Finance wrote to all Government Departments informing them of the rules of the programme and encouraging them to participate.

I launched Tús, on the 21st December 2010. The aims of Tús are to provide short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. Tús will be delivered at local level by each of the Local Development Companies and by Údarás na Gaeltachta and is built on the proven architecture of the rural social scheme.

Work has already begun on the roll-out of Tús across the country with the first placements expected towards the end of February when recruitment and other procedures have been completed.

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