Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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317. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a community employment scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39428/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned is a participant on a community employment (CE) scheme under the part-time integration option as she is under 35 years of age. The term of engagement for this option is 1 year; however in certain limited circumstances a second year may be available subject to Departmental approval and the availability of places and budget. Additionally it should be noted that to specifically address the needs of persons with disabilities, CE participation limits for people under 55 years of age who are in receipt of an illness payment was increased to a maximum of 4 years, in recognition of the fact that this group may find it more difficult to progress into the open labour market.

The person concerned has been a CE scheme participant for 202 weeks to date. Her contract is due to end on 25th October 2013 at which time she will have completed the maximum duration allowable of 4 years. In the current economic environment there is a significant demand for CE opportunities from those in receipt of social welfare benefits and eligible to apply for scheme places. Unfortunately CE places can only be made available by through-putting participants who have completed their time on the programme. Given this situation, and as the person concerned has completed the four year maximum threshold on the programme, her period cannot be extended. However, FÁS Training Centres and DSP Local Employment Service Offices are available to provide information to the person concerned on other employment and training opportunities which may be available to those in local communities exiting or ineligible for CE Schemes.