Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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10. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to review the operation of the community employment scheme; her further plans to increase the numbers participating in the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9208/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Community employment (CE) is the largest employment programme administered by the Department. It aims to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. In addition, it helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine.

CE schemes are typically sponsored by groups wishing to benefit the local community, namely voluntary and community organisations and, to a lesser extent, public bodies involved in not-for-profit activities. Such projects provide a valuable service to local communities while, at the same time, providing training and educational opportunities to job-seekers.

In 2013, the Department provided an additional 2,000 places bringing the number of CE places to 25,300 for 2014. There are approximately 1,000 CE schemes throughout the country at any one time providing services which range from childcare and social care to community support and drug rehabilitation. The CE budget for 2015 is €373.3m, which is an increase of nearly €16 million on the 2014 budget to reflect the full year implementation costs of the additional 2,000 places.

The Department is fully committed to the future of this programme and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the participants and the valuable contribution it makes to local communities.

The Department keeps the operations of the CE scheme under review and, where necessary, it updates the programme to comply with legislation changes, Government policy decisions, (such as Pathways to Work) and Departmental policy decisions (such as the CE Childcare programme).

CE is subject to continuous improvement and schemes are reviewed on a regular basis. The Department seeks to maximise the utilisation of resources to achieve the best outcomes for the CE participants in terms of awards achieved and progression to employment and, at the same time, to underpin and support the provision of local community services.

There are no plans to expand CE beyond the 25,300 places already budgeted for in 2015.