Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

780. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to continue the scheme launched in 2015 which gave persons of 62 years of age and over the opportunity to continue on the community employment scheme until they reach the retirement and pension age of 66; her plans to continue the scheme; her further plans to consider lowering the threshold to 58 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32956/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) is a labour market activation programme which helps long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged groups to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. It is designed to be a temporary fixed-term activation intervention. The programme assists participants to enhance and develop their skills, competencies and confidence to enable them to compete for jobs in the open market.

The pilot initiative announced in December 2015 is still in operation. This initiative enables those aged 62 or over to extend their participation beyond the standard maximum participation limits, providing the eligibility conditions are met. Participants are allowed to participate on a continuous basis up to the State Pension age, subject to satisfactory performance on the scheme and to annual approval by the Department. The places allocated for these participants within each individual CE scheme are limited to 7% of each scheme’s overall budgeted places. This pilot scheme is currently available nationwide.

Following the publication earlier this year of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme -the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions of participation on CE. At the time of publication, it was also signalled that a review of the rules governing the participation of older people on schemes would take place and I expect this review to be completed in the autumn. The future of the over 62s pilot will be considered in that context.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.