Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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362. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) is entitled to an extension of her current participation on a community employment scheme to bring her participation up to the maximum of three years. [43124/20]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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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. These positions are filled on a temporary, fixed term basis.

In general, CE placements for new entrants aged between 21 and 55 years are for one year. CE participants who are working towards a Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) major award can seek to extend their participation on CE by up to two years to enable them to reach the required standard of qualification. CE participants aged 55 years or older can remain on CE for three years and do not have to work towards a QQI major award.

The person concerned has completed a number of minor QQI awards and is due to undertake 2 further courses in early 2021. Funding for continued CE participation will be continued on that basis. She will have completed six years (which is the lifetime limit ) on CE on 1/10/21. This is inclusive of her current three year participation. Funding for this placement will therefore cease on 1/10/21.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.