Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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754. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason her Department issued directives to community employment scheme area supervisors advising them that support is being discontinued for private members clubs which receive membership fees from their members, a move which will impact severely upon clubs based in rural areas that receive minimum membership and which is particularly applicable to pitch and putt clubs in that category; if this directive will be reviewed and withdrawn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37575/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Community Employment (CE) programme is a community centred labour market initiative established for the purposes of social inclusion and activation, to help long-term unemployed people and other vulnerable groups to enter the workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment.

CE projects are typically sponsored by groups wishing to benefit the local community, namely voluntary and community organisations and, to a lesser extent, public bodies involved in not-for-profit activities. Such projects provide a valuable service to local communities while at the same time providing training and educational opportunities to jobseekers. The Department’s priority in supporting CE is having access to schemes that can provide job seekers and other vulnerable groups with good quality work experience and training qualifications to support their progression into employment.

Eligible work placements under CE are those which:

- Respond to an identified community need;

- Provide development for participants in areas involving heritage, arts, culture, tourism, sport and the environment;

- Have the agreement of relevant trade unions; Do not displace or replace existing jobs;

- Offer valuable work experience for participants.

I understand that the pitch and putt club to which the Deputy is making reference has been approved for the placement of a CE participant.