Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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277. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding community employment schemes and his Department's strategy in relation to the schemes in the long term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44539/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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In the programme for Government, an undertaking was given to introduce a better approach to how the State engages with and supports the unemployed to get back into the workforce. The challenge set by the Government in Pathways to Work is to ensure that the creation of new jobs results in a reduction in unemployment – particularly long-term unemployment so that individuals do not become permanently disenfranchised within our society.

The aim of the Department is to engage with every unemployed individual to make sure that their first day out of work is also their first step on the pathway back to work. This requires a more focused engagement with people on CE and greater targeting of places and opportunities to further the progression of unemployed people into work.

Community Employment is one of a number of Employment Schemes managed by the Department of Social Protection. Other smaller programmes that are similar in many respects to Community Employment are: the Rural Social Scheme (RSS); Community Services Programme (CSP); Job Initiative (JI) and Tús.

The Department is continuing its commitment to getting people back to work as set out in the programme for Government and the Pathways to Work documents.