Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

649. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a project (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11644/19]

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

Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment and/or further education and training. It is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities of returning to the open labour market. On an annual basis, my Department contracts with the local sponsoring organisations and agrees participant numbers and funding arrangements.

In cases where a sponsor organisation is not able to fill their agreed contract places, they may consider a merger with another scheme in order to ensure viability. My Department will facilitate these mergers and work with sponsor organisations. In the case referred to by the Deputy, the project is unable to fill the agreed participant places. This issue has been raised with the sponsor organisation.

As the current contract is not being honoured and the project is no longer viable, my Department are not is a position to renew the contract at the end of March. I am very cognisant of the valuable community and voluntary services delivered in these local communities and the need to protect these services and the participant placements into the future. In that context, it is hoped that the sponsor organisation will continue to engage with my Department to reach a positive outcome.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.