Brian Walsh (Galway West, Independent)
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117. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the rationale underpinning the different time limits for community employment participation in respect of persons over 55 and persons under 55; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28893/14]

Brian Walsh (Galway West, Independent)
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118. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider amending the rules governing eligibility for community employment schemes to permit persons aged under 55 years to apply for an additional three years of CE, as is the case in respect of persons over 55 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28909/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together.

The main objective of CE is to enable long-term unemployed people to re-enter the labour market through the provision of training and work experience on a fixed-term basis. During the placement, the participant should be provided with quality work experience and gain skills that are transferable to the open labour market and should be provided with support and training to facilitate this progression. Overall, the scheme is geared specifically towards building the readiness of the participants to engage in gainful employment.

Persons unemployed for over 3 years who require more long-term support may have their annual contract renewed for up to 3 years maximum lifetime duration for those under 55 years of age, and up to a lifetime maximum of 6 years for those between 55 and State Pension age (inclusive), subject to approval by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). This means that a CE-eligible person of 55 or over who had not participated on CE prior to their 55th birthday could potentially participate on CE up to the cumulative maximum of 6 years.

There are a wide range of client groups that CE is targeted towards – lone parents, persons with disabilities, stabilised substance abusers and unemployed persons. DSP at all times is obliged to accommodate the needs of all these groups in terms of participation on Community Employment. The programme is managed within this context, with consideration to the availability of resources and the needs of participants and the community.There are no plans to extend the general participation caps for those under 55 beyond three years maximum cumulative duration.

As part of the Pathways to Work policy, the Department is committed to shorter, more focused interventions on its active labour market programmes to ensure delivery of service, value for money and progression of participants. This work is taking place in the context of the Government’s activation strategy most recently stated in Pathways to Work().

Pathways to Workproposes a restructuring of CE, into two streams, which would retain the longstanding dual role of CE: helping the long-term unemployed return to the active labour market and the provision of local services.