Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis. The programme aims to improve a person’s opportunities to return to employment.

Those who are unemployed and in receipt of an eligible payment for 12 months or more may be eligible to participate on CE.

The individual concerned attended for interview with a sponsor, but as part of the eligibility verification process it was found that he was not in receipt of a qualifying payment for 12 months or more and therefore he is currently ineligible currently to participate in CE.

The individual concerned will be 12 months in receipt of a qualifying payment on the 02/09/2023 and will be eligible to part take in CE from this date assuming he continues to meet the qualifying criteria.

My officials have spoken to the sponsor concerned and they would encourage the individual to reapply for a CE position with them when he is eligible.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.