Michael Moynihan TD, continues to press for the Government to reverse their changes to the Community Employment Scheme.
The changes the Government intend to introduce to the CE Scheme “are a disaster in the making for rural communities” he says. He raised the issue in the Dáil as a matter of extreme urgency for my constituents and for all of rural Ireland.
“The CE Scheme is a double win for rural communities, providing work experience for the long-term unemployed and also serving as a cornerstone for many community services. Rural Ireland, already suffering from inadequate job development, cannot afford to lose either the assistance to the unemployed or the community services.
I am especially appalled at this backward decision given that the Scheme was moved from the Department of Jobs to the Department of Social Protection. Given the focus of this Department on both the welfare of the vulnerable and assisting those who are unemployed to gain employment, it is incomprehensible that they would be the Department that would choose to gut this Scheme which has done so much to support local groups in their efforts to serve their communities, to upgrade and maintain vital local facilities and to empower the unemployed to work towards getting paid employment.”