Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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38. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to maintain and develop community employment schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11840/16]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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45. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the way in which community employment schemes can compete with Tús and the rural social scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11841/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 45 together.

My Department will spend more than €1 billion in 2016 on work, training and education places in support of jobseekers. Expenditure and the number of schemes and participants has increased significantly in recent years in a response to the high levels of unemployment which peaked at 15%. The numbers of places available on work programmes, including Community Employment (CE), Tús, Rural Social Scheme (RSS), have grown from 25,000 in 2010 to just over 39,000 in 2016 (56% increase).

Schemes such as these do play an important role in helping jobseekers maintain work skills. Erosion of jobseeker confidence and work skills – including soft skills related to team-working, communication, planning etc. - is a significant issue over long periods of unemployment.

CE and Tús are employment programmes with the aim of helping the long-term unemployed to re-enter the workforce by breaking their cycle of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine. CE also provides training and development to participants. The RSS provides income support for low income farmers and fishermen who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments.

Tús was introduced - and the numbers on CE were expanded - as a direct response to the growth in the level of unemployment during the financial crisis. With the ongoing welcome reductions in the live register, a review of these schemes is necessary to ensure that the number and nature of schemes continues to be appropriate. I will be considering all of these issues over the coming months.

The type of work undertaken by these schemes is determined locally and each scheme should complement each other within communities, rather than competing. Deputies on all sides of the House are fully aware of the positive benefits that are derived from schemes like these – for the participants themselves but also for the valuable services they deliver to communities around the country.