Ailing jobless scheme to lower age requirements
A SCHEME designed to provide community-based work for the long-term unemployed is struggling to fill places, the Cabinet will be told today.
Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar will alert colleagues to changes he intends to make to the Community Employment (CE) programme, including lowering the qualification age.
The well-established scheme helps the unemployed and other disadvantaged people get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities.
The work tends to have a benefit for local areas, including the maintenance of public areas such as graveyards or projects linked to arts and tourism.
The number of scheme places increased by nearly 50pc during the recession but, according to a memo prepared by the minister, is struggling to fill places due to the fall in longterm unemployment, which is now under 4pc.
In 2010, there were 25,000 participants on the CE programme and similar schemes such as Tús and Gateway.
By 2015 this had grown to 36,000. It has since dropped back to just under 33,000 and is expected to continue falling.
“The minister is proposing to maintain current numbers and to peg the number of scheme places to the number of people on the Live Register in the future,” a source said.
The number of places on the scheme is about 10pc of the Live Register. Currently, most people are forced off the schemes after three years but this is also likely to be changed in a bid to fill gaps.
“Mr Varadkar is proposing to widen the pool of people who can access these programmes but reduce the entry age to 21, and allow people who have ‘timed out’ to have another chance to take part on a scheme,” a source said.
There will also be a greater emphasis on social inclusion and community projects aside from the traditional purpose of helping get people back into the workforce.
The rate of payment for new applicants based on 19.5 hours worked is equivalent to the existing social welfare payment plus a €22.50 participation bonus.