Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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124. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which she expects the various schemes offered by her Department to be available to urban or rural communities in a manner which can best address the needs of the respective communities on an ongoing basis in the coming year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34899/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will know, my department operates a number of employment support schemes which assist communities across the country by providing services.  Currently, there are some 27,000 people and 1,649 supervisors employed on the three main schemes: community employment (CE), Tús and the Rural Social Scheme (RSS).  Overall, these schemes have a budget allocation of €540 million in 2022. 

CE and Tús are active labour market programmes providing opportunities for eligible long term unemployed person to engage in useful work in their communities.  Work undertaken by participants on these schemes ranges from the delivery of meals on wheels, the provision of childcare, caretaking and environmental works and other community and voluntary services.  Generally persons can remain on schemes for one, three or six years depending on their age and a number of other factors.  

The RSS is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are underemployed in their primary occupation. 

I have been hugely impressed by the range and value of the work undertaken on these schemes, many of which I have had the opportunity to visit and witness at first hand.  As with all other sectors of society, schemes face challenges as we move beyond COVID.  Minister Humphreys and I introduced changes to CE at the start of this year in order to support schemes with the increased turnover of participants with the phasing out of COVID related extended contracts.  These changes are assisting schemes maintain services; as those over 60 years of age can now remain on CE and RSS retirement age along with a number of other changes, that reduced the numbers exiting schemes while improving the referral process.  These changes provided schemes with certainty as regards their capacity to continue to maintain services.

However, recruitment to schemes to fill all vacancies remain a challenge.  Vacancies do exist across schemes.  Recent very positive employment trends, with the reduction in unemployment and numbers long term unemployed does impact on recruitment to these schemes.  It means that there is a smaller pool of candidates to fill available places.  These challenges are similar to those facing employers in the open labour market.  

In order to further assist schemes maintain services in this tight labour market, Minister Humphreys informed Government at the end of June on additional measures we are now introducing to CE, Tús and RSS.  These will improve recruitment, remove the six year time limit on RSS for all participants while continuing the practice whereby placements can be extended until suitable replacements are available to fill vacancies.  These reforms will ensure that schemes have sufficient participants to continue to deliver services across the county; in both urban and rural areas.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.