Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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709. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider the extension of the duration of community employment schemes where appropriate for workers who feel that they were unable to benefit fully from the training and opportunities to gain experience normally afforded by a scheme due to restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will investigate whether the terms for one such group of workers in a facility (details supplied) can be extended. [42448/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.

My Department has supported CE schemes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.  CE participants, whose contracts were due to end during the periods of restrictions, have had their contracts extended for the duration of those restrictions.

In June this year, I announced that the existing CE participants' contract extension date would be further extended until 29/10/2021 and that the conclusion of these places would be undertaken on a coordinated and phased basis.  Over 11,000 CE and Tús participants are benefiting from this latest contract extension up to the end of October next.  This approach will give participants time to complete training and work experience, while also supporting the delivery of important community services.  

While the extension of placements helps to alleviate immediate pressures, it is important to note that CE placements are intended to be temporary and subject to time limits.  This is to ensure the continued availability of places on CE schemes for other candidates.  The current extensions will therefore be reviewed as the economy re-opens and we would hope that we can return to a normal level of throughput in order that places will be available to new candidates including those displaced from employment due to COVID-19.

I will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services while ensuring places are available for the those who are long term unemployed.

The Deputy may be interested to know that the CE scheme to which he referred currently has 2 vacancies and candidates will be in place to fill these vacancies shortly.

I trust this clarifies the matter. 

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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710. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will investigate the issues facing rural community employment schemes (details supplied) in terms of the difficulties in the recruitment of community employment workers by these rural community groups; if community employment scheme participant eligibility will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42472/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.  Those who are unemployed and in receipt of an eligible payment for 12 months or more, are regarded as long-term unemployed. This includes time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP).

I am very aware of the challenges caused by the Covid-19 public health restrictions and the adverse impact on a number of rural and urban CE schemes in recruiting new CE participants. My Department supported CE schemes since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, by ensuring that contingency measures were in place to support CE schemes. 

This included the extension of CE participant contracts that were due to end during the periods of restrictions. The measures introduced helped to mitigate recruitment challenges for CE schemes while supporting the ongoing delivery of important community services throughout the period.  I and my Department are very aware of the need to continue to support CE schemes during the current recovery period. 

One of the measures included in the Pathways to Work Strategy announced by Government in July, 2021 was an increase in the capacity of the Public Employment Service in Intreo Offices and contracted services to further support jobseekers through the provision of job search advice and assistance.  This increased capacity will support persons who jobs are permanently lost due to COVID as well as those unemployed pre-pandemic.  These additional resources will be central to meeting the increased demand for services, given the impact of the pandemic on employment and will support the increased demand for new candidate referrals to fill existing and new CE vacancies.   In this regard, I would encourage CE projects to remain in close contact with the Department's Community Development Officers.

Under Pathways to Work, the Government announced 3,000 additional places on Employment Support Schemes, including Community Employment.  Of the additional places, 1,475 places have recently been assigned to existing CE schemes.  These new places will be available to existing and more recent long term unemployed persons, including those whose employment was adversely affected as a result of Covid-19. 

I am fully committed to the future of CE and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of both the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities throughout the country, while ensuring that these placements are available for the current cohort of long term unemployed.