Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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351. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the meaningful supports he will introduce for employment in the voluntary community social enterprise area, in particular regarding supports for a continuity of employment for key employees with the sector. [10326/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A key principle underlying my Department’s activities is enabling communities themselves to identify and address social and economic needs and problems in their own areas. There is a particular focus on supporting communities that are vulnerable, disadvantaged or under threat, and an adherence to the values of local participation.

The Government currently provides substantial funding to social enterprises through a range of programmes and schemes, many of which are implemented through the nationwide network of Local Development Companies, including the Community Services Programme, Community Employment Schemes, the Wage Subsidy Scheme for the employment of people with disabilities, public sector contracts through the HSE, and the Social Finance Foundation.

In addition, my Department funds a number of programmes operating within communities, including the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), which is one of my Department’s key priorities. Some €28 million was available for the 9 month period April to December 2015 for the SICAP programme and €37.3 million is available for 2016.

The focus of Goal 3 of SICAP is to engage with marginalised target groups/individuals and residents of disadvantaged communities who are unemployed but who do not fall within mainstream employment service provision or who are referred to SICAP to move them closer to the labour market and improve work readiness. In doing so, the aim is to support individuals in accessing employment and self-employment and creating social enterprise opportunities.

The programme aims to promote the development of social enterprises as a means of employment generation for those most distant from the labour market as well as trying to improve on services to disadvantaged communities and groups. SICAP-supported enterprise start-up grants can be made available to assist a social enterprise at any stage of its development. The Local SICAP Programme Implementer in each Local Authority area is responsible for managing the delivery of SICAP and the enterprise/social enterprise element in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.