Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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525. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of community employment scheme placements in County Donegal that are currently vacant and waiting to be filled; the number of such placements which have been vacant for three months, six months, nine months, 12 months and longer than 12 months, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19318/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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At any point in time, there will be vacancies on Community Employment (CE) schemes at the various stages of being filled. The first stage involves the Employer (sponsor) advertising the vacancy on the Department’s JobsIreland website. This is a free service to all employers and in the case of CE the vacancy is generally advertised in advance of the vacancy arising. The next stage is where the employer has identified suitable candidates and is in the process of interviewing these individuals and finally, where Garda vetting is required some positions remain vacant until the vetting process has been completed.

As of 28^thApril 2017 there were 36 community employment scheme placements in County Donegal advertised on the JobsIreland website.

Of the 36 places that are advertised as vacancies, 3 have recently been filled, 11 have been vacant for one month or less, 15 have been vacant for three months or less, 4 have been vacant for six months or less and 3 have been vacant for nine months or less. There are no vacancies currently advertised on JobsIreland in Donegal that have been vacant for twelve months or more.

The table reflects the current position in County Donegal.

Should a sponsoring body encounter any difficulty in filling their CE vacancies they should contact their local Intreo centre who will be happy to help.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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526. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of refusals per county which have been made in respect of persons seeking to take up a placement through the community employment scheme for each month in 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19319/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Sponsors of Community Employment (CE) schemes advertise CE vacancies free-of-charge on the Department's JobsIreland website, www.jobsireland.ie. Posting vacancies is a relatively simple process and a dedicated video tutorial is available on the site to assist sponsors. Anyone requiring further assistance can contact my Department’s National Contact Centre by phone at Lo Call 1890 800 024 or (01) 248 1398, or by email at .

Jobseekers can view CE vacancies online. Eligible candidates are referred to sponsors by case officers in the local Intreo Centres. The sponsor then interviews potential candidates and notifies the candidates of the selection process outcome.

My Department does not refuse places on CE schemes. The primary role of the Department in relation to the filling of vacancies is to check the person’s eligibility to participate. Once a person is deemed eligible, it is the sponsor’s responsibility to recruit the approved number of participants.

Where a scheme is having any difficulty in recruiting suitable candidates, they should contact their local Intreo Centre who will be happy to assist with the process.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.