Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department provides a range of employment support schemes including Community Employment (CE). These supports are specifically targeted at those people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more and in receipt of a qualifying payment.

The aim of CE is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing valuable work experience opportunities. CE also provides training supports for participants.

A person must meet the eligibility criteria before they can commence on CE including being in receipt of a qualifying payment.

An official from my Department's Community Employment Programme Unit contacted the Sponsors of the CE scheme and clarified that they had made an offer of a CE placement to the person concerned in April 2020. However, at the time this offer had not been sent to my Department for verification of the person’s eligibility as would be the normal practice.

After the offer was made by the Sponsor the scheme closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the scheme was unable to recruit new participants due to social distancing requirements.

The person concerned has been signing for Jobseekers Credits since 05/05/2020. Unfortunately, she is not eligible to apply for a CE placement as she is not currently in receipt of a qualifying payment.

It is open to the person concerned to contact the Activation services in Kilbarrack at kilbarrackactivation@welfare.ie where arrangements can be made for her to meet with a Case Officer to discuss other employment and/or training opportunities open to her.

I trust this clarifies the matter.