Tánaiste announces £13.9 (EURO 17.65 ) Million Labour Market Support Package"£50 (EURO 63.49 ) per child per week allowance will facilitate access to training" - Tánaiste"Additional funding available to FÁS to train child-care providers"Reintegration of disabled into the workforce a priority" - Harney Apprentices and other trainees also benefit from new labour package

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney today ( Monday 2nd April 2001 ) announced a £13.9 million (euro 17.65 million ) labour support package as part of the 2001 Estimates. The package includes a £50 (euro 63.49 ) per week per child allowance for people seeking training to help them back into the workplace. Significant incentives to help apprentices and to encourage the employment of disabled persons are also included.

"Given our tightening labour market, we must seek to facilitate inclusion in the workforce of all those who want to work", the Tánaiste said.

"It estimated that there are currently 300,000 women working in the home. Government policy has sought a number of ways to make it attractive for women to take up or return to paid work. Since 1997 some 200,000 women have taken up jobs. However, the lack of suitable childcare facilities and childcare costs are major disincentives for women seeking employment, and particularly so for women who wish to avail of FÁS training programmes to help them along the way. I am pleased to announce that an allowance of £50 (euro 63.49 ) per child per week towards childcare costs will be paid to those who meet the condition for participation on training programmes. I expect that some 2000 - 3000 people will benefit from this new support at a cost of £3.9 million (euro 4.95 million ) this year, the Tánaiste added."

The Tánaiste continued "however, the Government also recognises the need to make improvements in the provision of childcare facilities. Consequently extra money will also be made available to train people in childcare. FÁS will develop an introductory training course in childcare for lone parents which will offer progression opportunities towards certified Traineeship in Childcare. 100 places will be made available at a cost of £300,000 ( euro 380,921 ) in 2001. In addition, a fund of £80,000 ( euro 101,579 ) will be available to FAS to encourage childcare providers to release personnel for certified training. This will facilitate the training of a further 200 people this year."

"For women who have been out of the workforce for a long time retraining is a prerequisite to accessing many of the available jobs. The FAS Return to Work Programme has been very successful in this regard with some 1650 women trained in 2000. Given the level of demand for this Programme I am happy to announce the provision of a further £600,000 ( euro 761,843 ) to fund an additional 200 training places in 2001," the Tánaiste added.

The Tánaiste went on to underline that the training and reintegration into the labour market of people with disabilities is a priority.

"In spite of the improved employment situation in recent years, many people with disabilities experience difficulties in gaining access to, and remaining in, employment. At a time when many employers are finding it difficult to fill vacancies, there needs to be a recognition that people with disabilities can contribute to meeting the current skills shortages in many sectors".

The Tánaiste said that "following extensive consultations with training providers and with organisations representing the disabled and I am now proposing to standardise the training allowances paid to disabled persons who come under FAS's remit. This will cost an additional £2.55 million ( euro 3.17 million ) on a yearly basis".

The Tánaiste also confirmed that additional funding of £1.2 million ( euro 1.52 million ) is being made available through FAS for the Supported Employment Programme and to test new approaches to employment and training of people with disabilities. "The Supported Employment Programme, launched last July, prepares people with disabilities for existing jobs, matches them to those jobs and assists them in integrating into the workforce through the provision of on-going supports in the workplace. It has proven to be a very successful model and is now heavily over-subscribed. The additional funding will allow us to support a number of additional projects", the Tánaiste said.

The Tánaiste confirmed that a further £1.7 million ( euro 2.16 million ) will be provided in 2001 to allow for increases in the Employment Support Scheme, Workplace Adaptation Grant and the delivery of training to people with disabilities.

The Tánaiste highlighted the increasing demands for apprenticeship training. She said "in order to ensure maximum use of existing training capacity and to address current backlogs, it is increasingly necessary for apprentices and other FAS trainees to travel beyond their local area. The current accommodation allowance of £27.50 ( euro 34.92 ) per week has proved insufficient to encourage many to attend training. This allowance has, in consequence, been increased to £55 ( euro 69.84 ) per week and will cost a total of £3.6 million ( euro 4.57 million ) in the level of support for apprenticeship and other FAS trainees."

"One the major challenges facing the Irish economy is to ensure an adequate supply of labour. Many employers are finding it difficult to recruit and retain workers while at the same time there is a large pool of untapped labour. We need to match one with the other and the measures announced today will go along way to meeting this objective," the Tánaiste concluded.