Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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486. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will extend existing community employment schemes that were previously extended to October 2021 in view of the effect Covid-19 has had on participants and the training provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43977/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Community Employment (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.

As the Deputy is aware, my Department continued to provide funding and support to 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 on a number of occasions.

With the successful roll-out of the vaccine programme and in line with Government’s ongoing plans for the full re-opening of the economy , my priority and the priority of the Department is to get all CE and Tús schemes back up and running fully, providing work experience and training opportunities to long term unemployed participants while delivering vital services to local communities.

Currently there are 11,000 CE and Tús participants benefitting from contract extensions which began in October 2020. These contracts are all extended to the end of October next, at least. After that date there will be a planned, phased ending of CE participants' contracts, whose contract should have ordinarily ended between October 2020 and October 2021. As this exercise will be phased over a number of months some contracts will continue for a further short period.

There will also be short contract extensions for those CE and Tus participants whose contracts ordinarily are due to come to an end in the period from November 2021 until February 2022.

These final contract extensions will provide all CE participants with an opportunity to complete any outstanding training and to also benefit from further work experience on CE. The coordinated and phased exit approach will also support the recruitment of new CE participants while ensuring the continued delivery of important local community services.

In order to ensure that all employment and activation programmes have the best outcome for participants, CE will continue to be made available to support those who are long term unemployed and furthest removed from the labour market, including those whose employment has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 emergency.

I am fully committed to CE and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services.