Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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35. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent in each county for community employment; and the procedures in place for schemes that require extra funding or seek extra places. [50575/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Community Employment (CE) schemes are typically sponsored by groups (known as CE Sponsors) wishing to benefit the local community. Such schemes provide a valuable service to local communities, while at the same time, providing training and educational opportunities to job seekers.The total expenditure for CE in 2016 was just over €361 million. A breakdown of this CE expenditure, for each county, is set out in the table attached. At the end of September, there were just over 21,000 participants on the Programme and over 1,300 supervisors.The annual budget provided to CE schemes includes an amount to cover the cost of training, materials, participant and supervisor wages, which are necessary for the effective operation of the scheme. The materials grant is available towards the cost of all materials necessary for the effective operation of the project such as insurance, audit fees and protective clothing. All scheme expenditure is approved by my Department, at Divisional level, in line with the contract agreement.

While my Department is not in a position to allocate additional places or monies to the overall budget in 2017, if there is a scheme that has an identified need for additional places or is experiencing financial difficulties, the sponsor should contact their local DEASP Division and the matter will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The overall number of employment scheme places available in 2017 is 32,000. CE continues to be the largest programme in 2017 with 22,400 places available in over 950 schemes across the country. The balance is made up of placements in schemes such as the Rural Social Scheme and Tús.

The Government is very conscious of the role CE schemes play to support the delivery of vital services in local communities.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Community Employment Expenditure by County in 2016